Regarding COVID-19 pandemic, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “Trust us. The worst is yet ahead of us,” on Monday, 20, April,2020, reports VOA News.
He has suggest previously about the factors countries must consider as they plan to start lifting so-called lockdown restrictions.
He re-emphasized that easing restrictions is not the end of the epidemic in any country. Ending the epidemic will require a sustained effort on the part of individuals, communities and governments to continue suppressing and controlling this deadly virus.
He said that the lockdowns can help to take the heat out of a country’s epidemic, but they cannot end it alone. At the same time, countries must now ensure they can detect, test, isolate and care for every case, and trace every contact.
He has also informed, early data from some of these studies suggest that a relatively small percentage of the population may have been infected, even in heavily affected areas – not more than 2 to 3 percent.
While antibody tests are important for knowing who has been infected, tests that find the virus are a core tool for active case finding, diagnosis, isolation and treatment.
Through April and May we intend to ship almost 180 million surgical masks, 54 million N95 masks and more than 3 million protective goggles to countries that need them most.
He highlighted the Jack Ma Foundation’s donation of 100 million masks, 1 million N95 masks and 1 million test kits to WHO.
