The virus “took the world hostage,” said the WHO chief earlier. (Representative)
Geneva:
The WHO said on Tuesday that it would study new evidence of the aerial transmission of the coronavirus, after an international group of scientists concluded that it could spread well beyond two meters.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that it will publish a new scientific dossier in a few days, gathering knowledge on how the virus can be transmitted and ensuring that its guidelines remain consistent with the evidence.
The two-meter physical distance directive has been a major factor in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 538,000 people and infected more than 11.6 million since the start of the epidemic in China in last December.
However, the new coronavirus can spread through the air well beyond two meters, a group of 239 international scientists said on Monday.
When an infected person expires, they expel droplets. Droplets less than five micrometers can hang in the air for several hours and travel tens of meters, they said.
Benedetta Allegranzi, WHO technical manager for infection control, said in a virtual press conference: “We recognize that there is new evidence in this area.”
“And therefore, we think we should be open to this evidence and understand its implications for the modes of transmission and also the precautions to be taken,” she said.
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical officer for COVID-19, said that the United Nations health agency is producing a scientific dossier consolidating the growing knowledge on transmission.
“It is important that our knowledge fits into the directions we have,” she said.
“We will publish our brief in the next few days, and that will describe all that we have in this area.”
– Hostage of the world: Tedros –
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pandemic was showing no signs of slowing down, with 400,000 new cases reported this weekend.
It took 12 weeks for the world to reach the first 400,000 cases of COVID-19.
“The epidemic is accelerating and we have clearly not reached the peak of the pandemic,” said Tedros.
“While the number of deaths appears to have stabilized globally, in reality, some countries have made significant progress in reducing the number of deaths, while in other countries, deaths are still increasing . “
The virus “took the world hostage,” he said.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro – who has caused enormous controversy for repeatedly flouting containment measures and minimizing the risk of the virus – announced Tuesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
WHO sent him his best wishes for a rapid and complete recovery.
“It makes us understand the whole reality of this virus: no one is special,” said WHO emergency director Michael Ryan.
“Whether we are prince or poor, we are just as vulnerable.”
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
