No ‘silver bullet’ for coronavirus, WHO says
FACE MASKS, HANDWASHING, PHYSICAL DISTANCING KEY IN BATTLING CORONAVIRUS
There might never be a “silver bullet” treatment for coronavirus, the director general of the World Health Organization said. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday a number of vaccines are in phase three clinical trials and “we all hope to have a number of effective vaccines that can help prevent people from infection.
“However, there’s no silver bullet at the moment — and there might never be.”
Speaking during an online press briefing from the UN body’s headquarters in Geneva, Tedros said wearing a face mask, handwashing and social distancing were all vital weapons in the fight against the virus.
He added that he carried a mask and hand sanitizer with him at all times.
“By wearing a mask, you’re sending a powerful message to those around you that we’re all in this together,” he said.
“Wear a mask when appropriate, Keep your physical distance from others and avoid crowded places. Observe coughing etiquette, clear your hands frequently and you’ll be protecting yourself and others.
“The message to people and governments is clear: Do it all.”
He issued the warning as the world recorded more than 18 million cases of the disease, with the United States, Brazil and India continuing to report high numbers of new infections. Other countries, such as Australia and Vietnam, are also seeing a resurgence. The global death toll is 688,080.
Tedros stressed that there would be no “silver bullet” for bringing the pandemic to an end.
Instead, he urged countries to continue with the basics of testing, isolating and treating patients and tracing and quarantining their contacts.
“Over the past week, we’ve seen several countries that appeared as though they were past the worst now contending with fresh spikes in cases,” Tedros said.
In Australia, Melbourne on Monday closed all non-essential businesses in fresh lockdown measures after the state of Victoria recorded 429 new cases and 13 deaths overnight.
In the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, the president, apologized as the number of cases breached 100,000 and he reintroduced a “modified enhanced community quarantine” for Manila and its outlying districts. The measure will restrict non-essential businesses and allow people to leave home only for work or to buy food.
The U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Monday said states with high coronavirus case counts should reconsider imposing lockdown restrictions, emphasizing the need to get cases to a low baseline before the fall flu season.
In some states with moderate case counts, experts are seeing “that same insidious increase in per cent positive that we had seen and pointed out ... in states like Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Minnesota and others,” Fauci said during an interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Fauci said that it is crucial that the outbreak be contained before autumn, when influenza cases are likely to spike alongside COVID-19 and more people begin to move indoors, increasing the risk of contagion.
Fauci also cautioned that although data suggests that young children do not get seriously ill from COVID-19, they are still capable of getting infected and spreading the virus.
The WHO head said that, while the coronavirus was the biggest health emergency since the early 20th century, the international scramble for a vaccine was also “unprecedented.”
But he underscored uncertainties. “There are concerns that we may not have a vaccine that may work, or its protection could be for just a few months, not more. But until we finish the clinical trials, we will not know.”
Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHO’S head of emergencies, said that countries with high transmission rates, including Brazil and India, needed to be prepared for a long journey ahead.
“The way out is long and requires a sustained commitment,” he said.
A Who-led team of Chinese and international experts will be set up to study the origins of the virus in the city of Wuhan, although the timing and composition of the team is not yet clear.