Highlights
- If basics are not followed, it is going to get worse and worse: WHO
- Too many countries are headed in the wrong direction: WHO
- The United States and Brazil have been worst hit by COVID-19
GENEVA/ZURICH: The new coronavirus pandemic raging around the globe will worsen if countries fail to adhere to strict healthcare precautions, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday. “Let me be blunt, too many countries are headed in the wrong direction, the virus remains public enemy number one,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from the U.N. agency’s headquarters in Geneva.
Also Read: 6 Months On, A Recap Of How the Coronavirus Pandemic Unfolded
If basics are not followed, the only way this pandemic is going to go – it is going to get worse and worse and worse.
Global infections stand at 13 million, according to a Reuters tally, with more than half a million deaths.
Dr Tedros, whose leadership has been criticised by U.S. President Donald Trump, said that of 230,000 new cases on Sunday, 80% were from 10 nations, and 50% from just two countries. The United States and Brazil have been worst hit.
WHO emergencies head Mike Ryan said some places in the Americas may need “limited or geographically focused lockdowns that suppress transmission in specific areas where transmission is frankly out of control”.
Also Read: 6 Months On, What Do We Know About The Coronavirus Pandemic
He urged countries not to make schools into a political football, saying schools could safely reopen once the virus had been suppressed.
Dr Tedros said the WHO had still not received formal notification of the U.S. pullout announced by Mr Trump. The U.S. president says the WHO pandered to China, where the COVID-19 disease was first detected, at the start of the crisis.
Mr Trump, who at the weekend wore a protective face mask in public for the first time, has himself been accused by political opponents of not taking the coronavirus seriously enough, something he denies.
Also Read: COVID-19 Recovered Cases Exceed Active Cases By Over 2.5 Lakh: Health Ministry
A two-member WHO advance team in China to investigate the origins of the coronavirus, first discovered in the city of Wuhan, is in quarantine, as per standard procedure, before beginning work with Chinese scientists, Mr Ryan said.
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.
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