Agency Report
Any premature lifting of restrictions imposed to prevent
the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a fatal resurgence of the coronavirus,
the World Health Organization warned Friday.
WHO’s Chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that while
some states were considering ways to ease the restrictions which have
placed around half of humanity under some form of lockdown, doing so too
quickly could be dangerous.
“I know that some countries are already planning the
transition out of stay-at-home restrictions. WHO wants to see restrictions
lifted as much as anyone,” he told a virtual press conference in Geneva.
“At the same time, lifting restrictions too quickly could
lead to a deadly resurgence. The way down can be as dangerous as the way up if
not managed properly.
“WHO is working with affected countries on strategies for
gradually and safely easing restrictions.”
Tedros spelled out six factors that should be considered
before restrictions could be safely eased. He said that transmission would have
to be controlled; sufficient public health services made available; outbreak
risks in care homes minimised; preventative measures imposed in workplaces and
schools; virus importation risks managed; and communities made aware of and
engaged in the transition.
The global death toll has gone over 100,000. More than 1.6
million infections have been recorded globally, according to an AFP tally,
since the virus first emerged in China in December.
Tedros welcomed signs that its spread was slowing in some
of the hardest-hit countries in Europe — citing Spain, Italy, Germany and France.
But he also warned of an “alarming acceleration” of the
virus elsewhere, highlighting Africa, where he said it was beginning to emerge
in rural areas.
“We are now seeing clusters of cases and community spread
in more than 16 countries” on the continent, the former Ethiopian health
minister said.
“We anticipate severe hardship for already overstretched
health systems, particularly in rural areas, which normally lack the resources
of those in cities.”
Tedros said that even the countries with the world’s
strongest health systems had been caught by surprise by COVID-19.
He urged them to reinforce their healthcare provision
rather than plunge into a “cycle of panic and neglect”.
In many countries, “we’re now in a phase of panic because
there is this dangerous, invisible virus which is wreaking havoc,” he said.
“But that should actually lead into asking questions on
what to do to strengthen our system. No country is immune.”
The WHO director-general also said he was particularly
concerned by the large numbers of cases being recorded among health workers —
with more than 10 percent reportedly infected in some nations.
“When health workers are at risk, we’re all at risk,” he
said.
Tedros said evidence from some countries, including China,
Italy and the United States, showed that health workers were being infected
outside healthcare facilities, in their homes and communities.
Switching to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, he said a new case had been reported, just three days before a
deadline that would have marked the official end to the long epidemic.
WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said some 2,600
alerts were still being investigated every day in the DRC, with thousands of
samples taken every week.
“Maybe that’s our lesson for COVID-19: there is no
exit strategy until you’re in control of the situation, and you must always be
ready to go back again and start again,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment