The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the threat of a COVID-19 pandemic has become “very real” as the number of cases of infection exceeds 110,000 in more than 100 countries and regions .
However, Chinese experts and WHO officials have warned that countries should not wait for the announcement of a pandemic before taking action and reducing the chances of containing it.
WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told The Global Times on March 10 that it is not possible to predict the spread of the new coronavirus because it is a virus of one type new and that there are several unknowns, including its severity and its transmission. He clarified that the coronavirus represents “An evolving public health emergency” and that WHO expects more cases to be reported in other countries.
“At the present time, the risks of infection and epidemics still vary widely from one country to another”, Zhou Zijun, a professor at Beijing University, told The Global Times. Moreover, at a press conference, the Director General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stressed that “Of all the cases reported to date worldwide, 93% are from four countries.”
“Different countries are in different scenarios, requiring a personalized response for each,” said Zhou Zijun, who said that pandemic categorization is close and more countries should take action before transmission within them occurs. .
Tarik Jasarevic said that the epidemic can be pushed back, but only by taking a collective, coordinated and comprehensive approach that engages all of governance. “We call on each country to act quickly, broadly and with determination and lucidity,” said the latter.
The last pandemic announced dates from 2009 with the new influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 virus, originating from the United States and infecting between 700,000 and 1.4 billion people worldwide, or one in six.
However, according to the WHO, pandemics will affect a large part of the world’s population and put considerable pressure on health systems. A moderate or severe pandemic will have a significant impact on essential services as well as the economic and social development of the country.
It is difficult to predict what will happen if the current COVID-19 outbreak is qualified as a pandemic, said Zhou Zijun, adding that “if the disease were to spread worldwide in an uncontrolled manner, health and causing economic loss, such an announcement would no longer really matter. More countries should therefore prepare before it is too late. “
