In a regular media briefing (March 11), World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the agency has been assessing the outbreak round the clock and is concerned about the alarming levels of spread and severity, also the levels of inaction. Moreover, the World Health Organization have “made the assessment that Covid-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.”
“We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death. Describing the situation as a pandemic does not change WHO’s assessment of the threat posed by this virus. It doesn’t change what WHO is doing, and it doesn’t change what countries should do. We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus. This is the first pandemic caused by a coronavirus. And we have never before seen a pandemic that can be controlled, at the same time. WHO has been in full response mode since we were notified of the first cases. And we have called every day for countries to take urgent and aggressive action. We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear,” states World Health Organization Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a media briefing.
In a situational report (as of March 11) by the World Health Organization, four new countries / territories / areas have reported cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. These are Bolivia, Jamaica, Burkina Faso, and Democratic Republic of Congo. Read more: World Health Organization Situation Report – 51
The report also revealed that two groups of people are at higher risk of getting severe Covid-19 disease.
“The COVID-19 virus infects people of all ages. However, evidence to date suggests that two groups of people are at a higher risk of getting severe COVID-19 disease. These are older people; and those with underlying medical conditions. WHO emphasizes that all must protect themselves from COVID-19 in order to protect others,” excerpt from the World Health Organization Situation Report – 51.
