The World Health Organization on Wednesday defended its handling of the coronavirus pandemic saying it warned the world early enough.
The WHO head, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters that “From the beginning, WHO has acted quickly & decisively to respond & to warn the world. We sounded the alarm early & we sounded it often.
We said repeatedly that the world had a window of opportunity to prepare & to prevent widespread community transmission.”
According to “We started our early press conference. People were saying the world will be tired of you if you’re making a press conference every day, but we didn’t mind. We wanted to make sure the world understands what WHO is saying.”
Tedros and the WHO have come under attack in recent weeks especially from the United States government for covering up for China.
But Tedros said “WHO is committed to transparency and accountability,” hence the decision to “reconvene the Emergency Committee” on Thursday.
“It’s almost 3 months since we declared the highest emergency and that’s what was suggested by the Emergency Committee – to evaluate the evolution of the pandemic, and to advise on updated recommendations,” Tedros said.
‘Share the grief and pain’
He said “We share the grief and pain of so many people around the world, and we share the hope that we will overcome the #COVID19 pandemic together. There’s one thing we haven’t done: we haven’t given up. And we will not give up.”
Over 3 million people have been infected by the virus with 220, 000 people now confirmed dead worldwide.
Tedros said “One thing that we would ask is unity at the national level and solidarity at the global level. More than ever, the human race should stand together to defeat this virus.”
He adds that “I have said it before: this virus can wreak havoc. It’s more than any terrorist attack. It can bring political, economic & social upheavals.
But the choice is ours & the choice should be unity at the natl level. The choice should be glbl solidarity, standing in unity.”
The full briefing on #COVID19 by @DrTedros ? https://t.co/TOhY24XEGD
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) April 29, 2020
Source: Africafeeds.com
