Mar 12, 2020
Headline Health – Leading media outlets have been roundly criticizing Donald Trump for weeks for supposedly being slow to act and downplaying the risk of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has just now – as of Wednesday – declared the China virus to be a global epidemic.
WHO chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus waited until the virus had infected at least 121,000 people in 114 countries before declaring an ‘official’ pandemic.
We’ve yet to hear or read charges of lethargy and soft-pedaling directed against the WHO boss such as have been directed at Trump daily since late February.
In fact, it’s Mr. Ghebreyesus who who hurling charges of inaction against others.
Details of the WHO’s latest coronavirus response below …
World Health Organization declares the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic
Mar 11, 2020
CNBC – The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on Wednesday as the new coronavirus, which was unknown to world health officials just three months ago, has rapidly spread to more than 121,000 people from Asia to the Middle East, Europe and the United States.
At a press conference at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said:
“In the past two weeks the number of cases outside China has increased thirteenfold and the number of affected countries has tripled.
“In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths and the number of affected countries to climb even higher.”
Tedros said several countries have been able to suppress and control the outbreak, but he scolded other world leaders for failing to act quickly enough or drastically enough to contain the spread.
Just before declaring the pandemic, he said:
“We’re deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction. We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear.”
Cases in China and South Korea have significantly declined, he said, adding that 81 countries don’t have any confirmed cases and 57 countries have 10 or fewer cases.
‘Lack of resolve’
Ghebreyesus added:
“We can not say this loudly enough or clearly enough or often enough: All countries can still change the course of this pandemic. Some countries are struggling with a lack of capacity. Some countries are struggling with a lack of resources. Some countries are struggling with a lack of resolve.”
Declaring a pandemic is charged with major political and economic ramifications, global health experts say. It can further rattle already fragile world markets and lead to more stringent travel and trade restrictions.
WHO officials had been reluctant to declare a global pandemic, which is generally defined as an illness that spreads far and wide throughout the world … Read more.
