 |
"If any country is saying contact tracing is difficult,
it is a lame excuse,” says @WHO Chief @DrTedros, pointing out that many public
health professionals have risked their lives to do contact tracing in active
conflict zones. Photo: Global Health Strategies |
TOPLINE: The World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had stark words on Monday for world leaders, and their efforts to contain the pandemic. He warned that the “worst is yet to come” from the pandemic if governments around the world do not adopt the right strategies.
KEY FACTS
“Although many countries have made some progress, globally
the pandemic is actually speeding up,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus speaking at a briefing in Geneva. “Some countries have now
experienced a resurgence of cases as they start to reopen their economies and
societies.”
Tedros pointed to the lack of unity and global solidarity in
tackling the pandemic as key reasons why the spread is increasing. "[The]
worst is yet to come," he warned, according to NPR. He added: "I'm
sorry to say that, but with this kind of environment and conditions we fear the
worst."
The WHO head urged countries to follow the lead of South
Korea, and other countries, that have used contact tracing and isolation to
contain the spread of the virus.
“No excuse for contact tracing. If any country is saying
contact tracing is difficult, it is a lame excuse,” said Tedros.
The WHO also said at the meeting that it would send a team
to China to investigate the source of the outbreak, which was first detected in
Wuhan in December.
President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold United
States funding of the WHO over its handling of the pandemic, and allegations
that the global health agency was deferential towards China.
KEY QUOTE
“We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our
lives. But the hard reality is this is not even close to being over,” said
Tedros.
KEY BACKGROUND
The warning from the WHO came after the world passed the
grim milestone of 500,000 deaths from the virus, and 10 million infections,
with the number of new cases rising rapidly in the United States, Brazil and
India. With an effective coronavirus vaccine months, or years away, the leader
of the global health agency again pointed to a playbook that has worked in
South Korea and Hong Kong, and earlier epidemics like the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
This article was first published on Forbes.
