WHO: Coronavirus must generate ‘solidarity not stigma’

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: Coronavirus must generate ‘solidarity not stigma’ Syndicated by GEO’ PR Channel Team Málaga Press & Technology Centre The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told journalists via VTC from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, that countries globally are in “a better state of preparedness for COVID-19, the coronavirus, than they were just a week ago”. Investing in preparedness is the smartest way to ensure that the coronavirus and other disease outbreaks are “identified and stopped quickly”, the UN health agency said on Friday. It is not uncommon for case definitions to change as more information becomes available. And WHO is seeking clarity on how clinical diagnoses are being made so that other respiratory illnesses, including influenza, are not getting mixed into the COVID-19 data. “In total, there have been 1,381 deaths in China, including 121 reported today”, he stated, adding that outside the country, “there have been 505 cases in 24 countries and two deaths”. Meanwhile, the vice minister of the national health commission said that as of Tuesday, 1,716 health care workers had been infected, and six have died. “This is a critical piece of information, because health workers are the glue that holds the health system and outbreak response together”, underscored the WHO chief. “But we need to know more about this figure, including the time period and circumstances in which the health workers became sick”. WHO guidelines have been developed and distributed for health workers taking care of hospitalized patients with acute infections. “We have been in regular contact with suppliers, asking them to prioritize production and distribution of personal protective equipment to health workers on the front lines”, he said. About the WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations that is concerned with world public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group.