WHO troubled about rate at which COVID19 is spreading

Kampala, Uganda  | THE INDEPENDENT |  The rate at which COVID 19 is spreading worldwide is troubling, according to the World Health Organisation-WHO. At the end of last week, the number of infected persons stood at 96,000 in 93 countries. By close of Tuesday, the number stood at over 110,000 in over 100 countries.

Addressing journalists during the WHO daily press briefing on Tuesday, the WHO Director Deneral, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said they are worried about the rate at, which the disease is spreading.

“Over the weekend we crossed the 100,000 reported cases threshold in 100 countries. It’s certainly troubling that so many people and countries have been affected so quickly,”he said.

According to Dr. Tedros, with Coronavirus affecting so many people, the threat of the disease becoming a pandemic is real. As of now, WHO has refused to declare the disease a pandemic.

It was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30.  With the disease spreading at such a high rate, Dr. Tedros says that it is important for people to act decisively to stop the current trajectory of the disease.

“This will not be the first time the world suffers from a pandemic but it will be first time where it can be controlled. The bottom line is not to have mercy for the disease. We need to remember that with early action, we can slow down the virus and prevent it from spreading,” he said.

The rise in numbers comes at a time when the world is facing a shortage of personal protective equipment- PPE materials. Dr. Michael J Ryan, the Executive Director of the WHO Emergencies Program, says countries hoarding PPE should stop.

“When you reach 100,000 cases, you have to step back and think. There are countries that have imposed restrictions on PPE material. At a time like this, this is not right. We need solidarity. We understand that you are trying to protect health workers in your countries but stopping the export of such material elsewhere exposes frontline health workers who need the PPE most,” Dr. Ryan said.

Globally, it is estimated that as of March 10, 2020 110,000 people were infected. 93 percent of the infections are from China, South Korea, Italy and Iran.  Dr. Tedros says that it is important for all countries in the world, even those with no reported cases like Uganda to enforce emergency measures to stop the spread of the disease.

“In countries were emergency measures like mass education, cancellation of all public gatherings we have seen a reduction in the number of new infections. In China were schools have been closed, we now have less than 200 new infections,” Dr. Tedros said.

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