Thread by @juliaoftoronto

.@WHO presser now: @DrTedros "We have now increased our assessment of the risk of spread and the risk of impact of #COVID19 to very high at a global level"

@WHO @DrTedros WHO still saying the virus can be contained — even with the outbreaks and community spread in Iran, Italy, South Korea, etc.

One bright spot: More than 20 vaccines are in development globally and several therapeutics are in clinical trials, @DrTedros says

@WHO @DrTedros Tedros shared a list of what people can do to prevent spread in this outbreak. Among the usual suspects:

Wash your hands, don't touch your face, sneeze in your arm, avoid travel and public places if you're sick.

@WHO @DrTedros @WHO says no indication yet to expect this virus will act differently in warmer weather, despite what @realDonaldTrump says.

@WHO @DrTedros @realDonaldTrump .@DrMikeRyan just made an alarming point: WHO is having trouble getting to Iran — where there's a big #covid19 outbreak — to help because of all the flight bans/cancellations that have been imposed on the country.

@WHO @DrTedros @realDonaldTrump @DrMikeRyan How much closer is @WHO to declaring a pandemic, a reporter asks?

@DrMikeRyan says if this was influenza, WHO would have called this a pandemic by now. But with this virus, the course of epidemics can be altered with robust public health measures as in China.

@WHO @DrTedros @realDonaldTrump @DrMikeRyan .@DrMikeRyan says it's still possible to contain #covid19.

If we are saying there's a pandemic, he continues, we are saying every human can be exposed. "Data does not support that," and China and other countries have clearly shown "a lot can be done to stop this virus"

@WHO @DrTedros @realDonaldTrump @DrMikeRyan .@HelenBranswell what will it take @WHO to say containment isn't working? Huge tradeoffs, too.

@DrMikeRyan: Countries that have focused on containment, they have managed to achieve a lot. Countries aren't ready -- need to be ready, use containment to ready/slow impact of virus

@WHO @DrTedros @realDonaldTrump @DrMikeRyan @HelenBranswell .@mvankerkhove highlights all the places that have seen declines in cases:

Singapore is seeing rapid decline in cases; Nepal, no onward transmission, etc.

"These are all examples of where countries have been successful in containing this."

@WHO @DrTedros @realDonaldTrump @DrMikeRyan @HelenBranswell @mvankerkhove #Covid19 is in 46 countries; 4,500 cases out of population of 6 billion.

"Why would we surrender when we have 4,500 cases in the rest of the world."

@WHO @DrTedros @realDonaldTrump @DrMikeRyan @HelenBranswell @mvankerkhove Is @WHO now putting the world on the highest possible level of alert in terms of spread and impact of #covid19?

@DrMikeRyan says "Yes."