Yesterday I visited Beijing with @DrTedros and @DrMikeRyan to discuss the novel #coronavirus outbreak. We met with President Xi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, and Health Minister Ma Xiaowei. who.int/news-room/deta…
@DrTedros @DrMikeRyan We received detailed briefings on the latest situation & measures being taken in 🇨🇳. I would really like to appreciate the people of China, especially health care workers caring for sick patients, and the 🇨🇳 authorities for their best efforts to control this outbreak.
@DrTedros @DrMikeRyan Making decisions during infectious disease outbreaks is complex & difficult. It requires carefully balancing interventions to control disease spread, & the potential impacts of these interventions, incl. social & eco impacts. This is especially hard in the context of uncertainty.
@DrTedros @DrMikeRyan China's decisions to date clearly show that they are making control of the outbreak a top priority.
@DrTedros @DrMikeRyan During our visit, we agreed that @WHO will send a team of international experts to visit 🇨🇳 as soon as possible, to work with Chinese counterparts on increasing understanding of the outbreak to guide global response efforts.
@DrTedros @DrMikeRyan @WHO #China is also keen to collaborate with international research partners to expand our knowledge on treatment and possible prevention measures, including to support the development of a vaccine against #nCoV2019.
@DrTedros @DrMikeRyan @WHO It is important to remember that this is a new disease. There are still many things we don’t know – and new information is coming in a very fast pace. The latest information from China included both positive news and some warning signs.
@DrTedros @DrMikeRyan @WHO However, one of the warning signs is that, right now, we cannot exclude the possibility of mild or even some asymptomatic cases transmitting the virus. Clearly this is something we are monitoring closely and need to understand better.
@DrTedros @DrMikeRyan @WHO For the last few weeks @WHO has been working with other countries to prepare for imported cases. As of today, all cases reported outside China are somehow traceable from Wuhan, or linked to a Wuhan case. That is, there is no report of community transmission outside China yet.
@DrTedros @DrMikeRyan @WHO It is important that all countries are taking action to prepare not only for imported cases, but for the possibility of further transmission in the community in their country. In any infectious disease outbreak, preparedness for the range of possible scenarios is crucial.
@DrTedros @DrMikeRyan @WHO @WHO will continue to work closely with China, as well as keep other countries and the public informed about what we know, and what we don’t know. We will also continue to provide support to countries to step up their preparation and response capacities.
