Six months ago, none of us could have imagined how our world – and our lives – would be thrown into turmoil by this new virus.
WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the virus would infect many more people if governments did not start to implement the right policies?
His message remained “Test, Trace, Isolate and Quarantine”, he said.
More than 10m cases have been recorded worldwide since coronavirus emerged in China late last year.
The number of patients who died is now above 500,000. Half the world’s cases have been in the US and Europe, but Covid-19 is rapidly growing in the Americas.
The virus is also affecting South Asia and Africa, where it is not expected to peak until the end of July.
Dr. Tedros told a virtual briefing on Monday: “We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives. But the hard reality is this is not even close to being over.
“Although many countries have made some progress, globally the pandemic is actually speeding up.”
“With 10 million cases now and half a million deaths, unless we address the problems we’ve already identified at WHO, the lack of national unity and lack of global solidarity and the divided world which is actually helping the virus to spread… the worst is yet to come,” he said.
“I’m sorry to say that, but with this kind of environment and conditions we fear the worst.”
Tomorrow marks six months since WHO received the first reports of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown causes in China.
The six-month anniversary of the outbreak coincides with reaching 10 million cases and 500,000 deaths.
This is a moment for all of us to reflect on the progress we have made and the lessons we have learned, and to recommit ourselves to doing everything we can to save lives.
Six months ago, none of us could have imagined how our world – and our lives – would be thrown into turmoil by this new virus.
The pandemic has brought out the best and the worst of humanity.
All over the world, we have seen heartwarming acts of resilience, inventiveness, solidarity, and kindness.
But we have also seen concerning signs of stigma, misinformation, and the politicization of the pandemic.
For the past six months, WHO and our partners have worked relentlessly to support all countries to prepare for and respond to this new virus.
Today, we are publishing an updated and detailed timeline of WHO’s response to the pandemic on our website, so the public can have a look at what happened in the past six months in relation to the response.
Although a vaccine will be an important long-term tool for controlling COVID-19, there are five priorities that every single country must focus on now, to save lives now.
First, empower communities- Every individual must understand that they are not helpless – there are things everyone should do to protect themselves and others. Your health is in your hands. That includes physical distancing, hand hygiene, covering coughs, staying home if you feel sick, wearing masks when appropriate, and only sharing information from reliable sources.
Second, suppress transmission- Whether countries have no cases, clusters of cases, or community transmission, there are steps all countries can take to suppress the spread of the virus. Ensure that health workers have access to training and personal protective equipment. Improve surveillance to find cases.
Third, save lives – Early identification and clinical care saves lives. Providing oxygen and dexamethasone to people with severe and critical disease saves lives.
Fourth, accelerate research – We have already learned a lot about this virus, but there is still a lot we do not know – and there are still tools we need.
And fifth, political leadership – As we have said repeatedly, national unity and global solidarity are essential to implementing a comprehensive strategy to suppress transmission, save lives and minimize the social and economic impact of the virus.
What are the worst-affected countries?
The US has reported more than 2.5 million cases and about 126,000 deaths with Covid-19 so far – more than any other nation.
US states that emerged from lockdown in recent weeks – notably in the south – have been reporting sharp increases in new infections in recent weeks.
The country with the second-highest number of recorded cases in Brazil, with a total of 1.3 million, and deaths more than 57,000.
On Monday, a state of emergency was declared in the capital Brasilia, following a surge there.