Coronavirus not a global emergency, WHO says
China limits travel of 20 million in 3 cities
The World Health Organization on Thursday declined to categorize the coronavirus sweeping across China as a global health emergency, saying there is no evidence of human-to-human infection outside China.
Didier Houssin, who chaired an emergency WHO committee, said few cases have been diagnosed outside China, which he credited to the aggressive work to contain the outbreak.
“The advice to the director-general provided by the emergency committee is that now is not the time,” Houssin said. “It’s too early.”
More than 500 people in China have been diagnosed with the virus, and at least 17 have died. China has suspended planes, trains and ferries in and out of three cities with a total population of almost 20 million because of fears of the virus spreading. A small number of cases have been diagnosed in other countries, including one in the U.S.
Tedros, who made the final decision, said WHO is “following the outbreak every minute of every day.”
Declaring a global emergency can result in more resources made available to combat outbreaks but also can lead to restrictions on trade and travel.
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The United States, China and the World Health Organization continue to work to contain the coronavirus that is sweeping across China.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said even though his group decided not to declare it a global health emergency Thursday, the organization is monitoring the virus.
“This should not be taken as a sign that WHO does not think the situation is serious or that we’re not taking it seriously,” Tedros said.
More than 500 people in China have been diagnosed with the virus, and at least 17 have died. A small number of cases have been diagnosed in other countries, including a case in the USA.
In the U.S., airports in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta and San Francisco stepped up health checks for passengers arriving from China.
In Boston, at least nine people were screened for the virus at Logan International Airport but were cleared and allowed to continue to final destinations. In Los Angeles, an American Airlines passenger arriving from Mexico City was transported to a medical center as a precaution.
“We don’t want the American public to be worried about this because their risk is low,” says Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “On the other hand, we are taking this very seriously and are dealing very closely with Chinese authorities.”
China suspended planes, trains and ferries in and out of three cities with a combined population of almost 20 million people. Public transport has been mostly suspended within Huanggang, Ezhou and Wuhan, the city of 11 million serving as the epicenter for the virus.
President Xi Jinping said curbing the outbreak and saving lives are top priorities. The timing of the outbreak could not be worse – the Lunar New Year is Saturday, and hundreds of millions of people across Asia travel in packed buses, trains and planes bound for celebrations. Beijing canceled its major new year events and announced The Forbidden City, the palace complex/museum, will close indefinitely Saturday. Hong Kong turned two holiday camps into quarantine areas for people who may have come into contact with the virus.
Airports around the world stepped up health screenings.
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, said all passengers arriving on direct flights from China will receive health screenings. Russian airports screen passengers arriving from China. British authorities said passengers arriving from China to Heathrow Airport in London, Europe’s busiest, and other airports won’t get special screening but will be given information leaflets on what to do if they become ill.
Fauci compared the outbreak with severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS, a coronavirus that killed more than 600 people across mainland China and Hong Kong along with more than 100 other people around the world in 2002-2003. Fauci said a vaccine was developed for SARS but was not needed.
“SARS essentially disappeared because of very good public health practices,” he said. “The question of developing a vaccine is not a major issue.”
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness from the common cold to pneumonia. Common signs of infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In severe cases, infection can cause severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and death.
Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Many of the initial cases were linked to a market in Wuhan. Chinese health officials, which first reported the cases last month, said human-to-human transmission has been confirmed.