"The Way Down Is Much Slower Than the Way Up"
Director-General of the WHO Dr. Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take its
toll all over the world, in Canada and various
European countries as well as the United States,
talk about easing restrictions to get the economy
going is beginning to dominate media reports in
various ways. Along with this we get more and more
disinformation to divert attention from what
governments are or are not doing and the need to
work together to bring this pandemic under
control.
Such is the case of the announcement by U.S.
president Donald Trump to cut funding to the WHO,
as well as a lawsuit reported against China on the
part of individuals whose own country, the United
States, is very likely itself criminally negligent
in dealing with the pandemic.
So too the attacks on the WHO by several MPs
linked to the Conservative Party of Canada as well
as Liberal Irwin Cotler and Alberta Premier Jason
Kenney, who has also seen fit to defame Canada's
Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam, in what can
surely only be seen as pathetic and possibly
racist attempts to sow doubt in its integrity for
purposes of covering up what they themselves are
up to behind the scenes.
To help Canadians find their bearings in the
situation, TML Weekly is publishing below
the opening remarks of the Director-General of the
WHO Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at his April 13
media briefing on COVID-19, followed by his
opening remarks on April 15 after the U.S.
suspended its funding to the WHO..
WHO Director-General's COVID-19 Briefing April
13
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening.
Some countries and communities have now endured
several weeks of social and economic restrictions.
Some countries are considering when they can lift
these restrictions; others are considering whether
and when to introduce them.
In both cases, these decisions must be based
first and foremost on protecting human health, and
guided by what we know about the virus and how it
behaves.
Since the beginning, this has been an area of
intense focus for WHO.
As we have said many times before, this is a new
virus, and the first pandemic caused by a
coronavirus.
We are all learning all the time and adjusting
our strategy, based on the latest available
evidence.
We can only say what we know, and we can only act
on what we know.
Evidence from several countries is giving us a
clearer picture about this virus, how it behaves,
how to stop it and how to treat it.
We know that COVID-19 spreads fast, and we know
that it is deadly - 10 times deadlier than the
2009 flu pandemic.
We know that the virus can spread more easily in
crowded environments like nursing homes.
We know that early case-finding, testing,
isolating caring for every case and tracing every
contact is essential for stopping transmission.
We know that in some countries, cases are
doubling every 3 to 4 days.
However, while COVID-19 accelerates very fast, it
decelerates much more slowly.
In other words, the way down is much slower than
the way up.
That means control measures must be lifted
slowly, and with control. It cannot happen all at
once.
Control measures can only be lifted if the right
public health measures are in place, including
significant capacity for contact tracing.
But while some countries are considering how to
ease restrictions, others are considering whether
to introduce them - especially many low- and
middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin
America.
In countries with large poor populations, the
stay-at-home orders and other restrictions used in
some high-income countries may not be practical.
Many poor people, migrants and refugees are
already living in overcrowded conditions with few
resources and little access to health care.
How do you survive a lockdown when you depend on
your daily labor to eat? News reports from around
the world describe how many people are in danger
of being left without access to food.
Meanwhile, schools have closed for an estimated
1.4 billion children. This has halted their
education, opened some to increased risk of abuse,
and deprived many children of their primary source
of food.
As I have said many times, physical distancing
restrictions are only part of the equation, and
there are many other basic public health measures
that need to be put in place.
We also call on all countries to ensure that
where stay-at-home measures are used, they must
not be at the expense of human rights.
Each government must assess their situation,
while protecting all their citizens, and
especially the most vulnerable.
To support countries in making these decisions,
WHO will tomorrow be publishing its updated
strategic advice.
The new strategy summarizes what we've learned
and charts the way forward. It includes six
criteria for countries as they consider lifting
restrictions:
First, that transmission is controlled;
Second, that health system capacities are in
place to detect, test, isolate and treat every
case and trace every contact;
Third, that outbreak risks are minimized in
special settings like health facilities and
nursing homes;
Fourth, that preventive measures are in place in
workplaces, schools and other places where it's
essential for people to go;
Fifth, that importation risks can be managed;
And sixth, that communities are fully educated,
engaged and empowered to adjust to the "new norm."
Every country should be implementing a
comprehensive set of measures to slow down
transmission and save lives, with the aim of
reaching a steady state of low-level or no
transmission.
Countries must strike a balance between measures
that address the mortality caused by COVID-19, and
by other diseases due to overwhelmed health
systems, as well as the social economic impacts.
As the pandemic has spread, its public health and
socioeconomic impacts have been profound, and have
disproportionately affected the vulnerable. Many
populations have already experienced a lack of
access to routine, essential health services.
Our global connectedness means the risk of
re-introduction and resurgence of the disease will
continue.
Ultimately, the development and delivery of a
safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully
interrupt transmission.
Finally, I would like to thank the United Kingdom
for its generous contribution of £200 million to
the global response to COVID-19.
We greatly appreciate this demonstration of
global solidarity.
In an editorial last week, development ministers
from the UK, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Germany,
Norway and Sweden calling on all countries to join
this common endeavour.
They said that tackling this disease together is
our only option.
I couldn't agree more. The way forward is
solidarity: solidarity at the national level, and
solidarity at the global level.
WHO Director-General's COVID-19 Briefing April
15
[...]
We regret the decision of the President of the
United States to order a halt in funding to the
World Health Organization.
With support from the people and government of
the United States, WHO works to improve the health
of many of the world's poorest and most vulnerable
people.
WHO is not only fighting COVID-19. We're also
working to address polio, measles, malaria, Ebola,
HIV, tuberculosis, malnutrition, cancer, diabetes,
mental health and many other diseases and
conditions.
We also work with countries to strengthen health
systems and improve access to life-saving health
services.
WHO is reviewing the impact on our work of any
withdrawal of U.S. funding and will work with our
partners to fill any financial gaps we face and to
ensure our work continues uninterrupted.
Our commitment to public health, science and to
serving all the people of the world without fear
or favour remains absolute.
Our mission and mandate are to work with all
nations equally, without regard to the size of
their populations or economies.
COVID-19 does not discriminate between rich
nations and poor, large nations and small. It does
not discriminate between nationalities,
ethnicities or ideologies.
Neither do we. This is a time for all of us to be
united in our common struggle against a common
threat -- a dangerous enemy.
When we are divided, the virus exploits the
cracks between us.
We are committed to serving the world's people,
and to accountability for the resources with which
we are entrusted.
In due course, WHO's performance in tackling this
pandemic will be reviewed by WHO's Member States
and the independent bodies that are in place to
ensure transparency and accountability. This is
part of the usual process put in place by our
Member States.
No doubt, areas for improvement will be
identified and there will be lessons for all of us
to learn.
But for now, our focus --"my focus" -- is on
stopping this virus and saving lives.
WHO is grateful to the many nations,
organizations and individuals who have expressed
their support and commitment to WHO in recent
days, including their financial commitment.
We welcome this demonstration of global
solidarity, because solidarity is the rule of the
game to defeat COVID-19.
WHO is getting on with the job.
We are continuing to study this virus every
moment of every day, we are learning from many
countries about what works, and we are sharing
that information with the world.
There are more than 1.5 million enrolments in
WHO's online courses through OpenWHO.org, and we
will continue to expand this platform to train
many more millions so we can fight COVID
effectively.
Today we launched a new course for health workers
on how to put on and remove personal protective
equipment.
Every day we bring together thousands of
clinicians, epidemiologists, educators,
researchers, lab technicians, infection prevention
specialists and others to exchange knowledge on
COVID-19.
Our technical guidance brings together the most
up-to-date evidence for health ministers, health
workers and individuals.
Yesterday I had the honour of speaking to heads
of state and government from the 13
ASEAN-plus-three nations.
It was inspiring to hear their experiences, and
their commitment to working together to secure a
shared future.
As a result of their experience with SARS and
avian influenza, these countries have put in place
measures and systems that are now helping them to
detect and respond to COVID-19.
We're also continuing to work with partners all
over the world to accelerate research and
development.
More than 90 countries have joined or have
expressed interest in joining the Solidarity
Trial, and more than 900 patients have now been
enrolled, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of
four drugs and drug combinations.
Three vaccines have already started clinical
trials, more than 70 others are in development,
and we're working with partners to accelerate the
development, production and distribution of
vaccines.
In addition to the Solidarity Trial, I am glad to
say that WHO has convened groups of clinicians to
look at the impact of corticosteroids and other
anti-inflammatory drugs on treatment outcomes.
Specifically, we are looking at oxygen use and
ventilation strategies in patients. Any
intervention that reduces the need for ventilation
and improves outcomes for critically ill patients
is important -- especially in low-resource
settings, to save lives.
Last week I announced the United Nations Supply
Chain Task Force, to scale up the distribution of
essential medical equipment.
Yesterday the first United Nations Solidarity
Flight took off, transporting personal protective
equipment, ventilators and lab supplies to many
countries across Africa.
The Solidarity Flight is part of a massive effort
to ship lifesaving medical supplies to 95
countries across the globe, in conjunction with
the World Food Programme and other agencies
including Unicef, the Global Fund, Gavi, and the
United Nations Department of Operational Support,
Unitaid and others.
Whether it is by land, sea or air, WHO staff are
working around the clock to deliver for health
workers and communities everywhere.
I would like to thank the African Union, the
governments of the United Arab Emirates and
Ethiopia, the Jack Ma Foundation and all our
partners for their solidarity with African
countries at this critical moment in history. I
would like to thank President Ramaphosa and the
Chairperson of the African Union Commission,
Moussa Faki, for their leadership.
The Solidarity Response Fund has now generated
almost US$150 million from 240,000 individuals and
organizations.
This Saturday, some of the biggest names in music
are coming together for the One World: Together at
Home concert, to generate further funds for the
Solidarity Response Fund.
But not just to raise funds, to bring the world
together, because we're one world, one humanity
fighting a common enemy. I thank Lady Gaga, Global
Citizen and all that are collaborating to put this
concert together.
We will continue to work with every country and
every partner, to serve the people of the world,
with a relentless commitment to science, solutions
and solidarity.
Since the beginning, WHO has been fighting the
pandemic with every ounce of our soul and spirit.
We will continue to do that until the end. That's
our commitment to the whole world."
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 13 - April 18, 2020
Article Link:
"The Way Down Is Much Slower Than the Way Up"
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
|
