COVID-19 'can be characterised as a pandemic': WHO chief
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The new coronavirus outbreak can now be characterised as a pandemic, the head of the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was alarmed by the spread and severity of the outbreak, along with a lack of action taken to combat it.
“COVID-19 can be characterised as a pandemic,” he told reporters in Geneva. “We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction.”
He said he expected the number of cases and deaths would grow in the coming days and weeks.
“We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus,” he said.
He also said hard-hit Iran was trying its best to control the outbreak but needed more supplies.
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Comments (19) Closed
Mar 11, 2020 10:53pm
This is not a breaking news as the whole world already knows about it.
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Mar 11, 2020 11:14pm
Why so much delay in finding a cure or vaccine. There’s a cure for every ailment, provided some one finds it.
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Mar 11, 2020 11:23pm
What is the difference between epidemic and pandemic
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Mar 11, 2020 11:42pm
if thyre not doing a good enough job what does he suggest?? shut the us down for 3 weeks or however long it takes to stop the spread.
flu has killed more.
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Mar 11, 2020 11:43pm
Too Little, Too Late
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Mar 12, 2020 12:23am
What is his job responsibility? Who is he blaming? If things are not going right then he should resign.
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Mar 12, 2020 12:48am
@Sairbeen plus., Are you even serious? Please read the journals how medicine becomes available for Human use
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Mar 12, 2020 01:05am
@Orakzai, the epidemic is a sudden outbreak, while pandemic is the diseases spread into many countries or areas of a large population. the endemic word also used when a disease stayed for a long time in a specific area or population.
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Mar 12, 2020 01:28am
@Orakzai, Epidemic is in certain area like Asia and Pandemic is wide spread like whole world or almost all countries of world.
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Mar 12, 2020 03:14am
Speaking of "lack of action" I wonder what IK is doing these days? It's hard to believe that our PM hasn't taken leadership of this crisis - also hard to believe that Pakistan only has 20 infections.
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Mar 12, 2020 05:03am
Here it is:
Cancel Everything to contain COVID-19:
Social distancing is the only way to stop the coronavirus. We must start immediately. I am not kidding, it is real and it will be effective...
India has quarantined itself now...
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Mar 12, 2020 05:38am
@hysterics, USA flu deaths 0.1 percent. Covid-19 2-3 percent. China and Europe high risk patients 34 percent deaths. Iran 57 percent. facts not hysterics.
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Mar 12, 2020 05:39am
@Sairbeen plus., extreme care is required. billions will get the vaccine when ready.
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Mar 12, 2020 05:39am
@Orakzai, consult a dictionary.
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Mar 12, 2020 06:25am
I have been saying all this time - the WHO Chief had delayed recognizing this outbreak at the beginning. If the WHO was really alert and had ears to the ground during Dec 2019, when the Chinese doctor called out the virus, they may have been able to contain the spread within the area of Wuhan. Even after, in Feb 2020 WHO was stubborn and didn't call for a global emergency which it has been compelled to do so now. The WHO Chief needs to be sacked immediately and charges for criminal negligence must be filled.
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Mar 12, 2020 07:17am
@Sairbeen plus., it tKes minimum 8 months to make a vaccine... This is a new virus never seen before.. Expected date of vaccine according to CDC is October 2020
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Mar 12, 2020 07:19am
WHO is to blame for all this spread, they never gave strong alert before. Even they criticized those countries who took strict measures at the beginning. They are asking for strict measures now when it reached more than 100 hundred countries. I'm amazed what kind of world health organization we have
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Mar 12, 2020 08:50am
Is anyone listening to WHO in Raiwind.
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Mar 12, 2020 10:35am
@Orakzai, The WHO defines a pandemic as the worldwide spread of a new disease, across several countries or continents, affecting a large number of people.
In contrast, an epidemic refers to a more localised or regional outbreak of a disease, rather than one that has spread across the globe.
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