Thread by @WHO

LIVE daily media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros #coronavirus pscp.tv/w/cSvNuTI2MTAy…

@DrTedros "The number of #COVID19 cases in 🇨🇳 continues to decline. Yesterday, 🇨🇳 reported 206 cases to WHO, the lowest since 22 January. Only 8 cases were reported outside Hubei province.

Outside 🇨🇳, a total of 8739 cases have been reported from 61 countries, with 127 deaths"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "In the last 24 hours there were almost 9 times more #COVID19 cases reported outside #China than inside 🇨🇳.

The epidemics in the Republic of Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan are our greatest concern"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros "A WHO team arrived in #Iran this afternoon to deliver supplies and support the government in the #COVID19 response.

I thank Crown Prince Sheikh @MohamedBinZayed of the United Arab Emirates for his support in making this mission possible"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @MohamedBinZayed "A WHO staff member in our #Iran country office has now tested positive for #COVID19. He has mild disease"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @MohamedBinZayed "The Republic of #Korea 🇰🇷 has now reported over 4200 #COVID19 cases & 22 deaths, meaning it has more than half of all cases outside 🇨🇳.

However, the cases in 🇰🇷 appear to be coming mostly from suspected cases from the 5 known clusters, rather than the community"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @MohamedBinZayed "That’s important because it indicates that surveillance measures are working & 🇰🇷’s epidemic can still be contained.
🇰🇷’s situation also underlines that this is a unique virus with unique features. This virus is not influenza"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros @MohamedBinZayed "We are in unchartered territory. We have never before seen a respiratory pathogen that is capable of community transmission, but which can also be contained with the right measures"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros @MohamedBinZayed "If this [#COVID19] was an influenza epidemic, we would have expected to see widespread community transmission across the globe by now, and efforts to slow it down or contain it would not be feasible"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @MohamedBinZayed "But containment of #COVID19 is feasible and must remain the top priority for all countries.

With early, aggressive measures, countries can stop transmission and save lives"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @MohamedBinZayed "We appreciate that people are debating whether this is a pandemic or not. We are monitoring the situation every moment of every day & analyzing the data.
WHO will not hesitate to describe this [#COVID19] as a pandemic if that’s what the evidence suggests"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @MohamedBinZayed "But we need to see this in perspective. Of the 88,913 #COVID19 cases reported 🌍 so far, 90% are in 🇨🇳, mostly in one province.

We know people are afraid. We know they have many concerns and questions"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @MohamedBinZayed "Is the #coronavirus spreading in my community?

Will my kids be okay?

Will my parents be okay?

Is it safe to hold an event?

Should I travel?"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros @MohamedBinZayed "The answers to these questions will vary depending on where you live, how old you are, and how healthy you are.

Individuals, families and communities should follow the advice provided by local health authorities and local health professionals"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros @MohamedBinZayed "WHO will continue to provide evidence-based guidance to help countries and individuals to assess and manage their risk, and make decisions.

There is no one-size fits all approach. Different countries are in different scenarios"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros @MohamedBinZayed "More than 130 countries have not detected any #COVID19 cases yet.

Some just received their first cases yesterday.

Some have clusters of cases, with transmission between family members and other close contacts"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

"Some have rapidly expanding epidemics, with signs of community transmission.

And some have declining epidemics, and have not reported a case for more than two weeks.

Some countries have more than one of these scenarios at the same time"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros "For example, #China had community transmission in Wuhan, but relatively small numbers of cases in other provinces.

Other countries have a similar pattern"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros "WHO is advising countries on actions they can take for each of the “3 Cs” scenarios:
-1st case
-1st cluster
-1st evidence of community transmission.
The basic actions in each scenario are the same, but the emphasis changes depending on which scenario a country is in"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "Our message to all countries is: this is not one-way street. We can push this #coronavirus back.

Your actions now will determine the course of the #COVID19 outbreak in your country.

There’s no choice but to act now"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros Here are some photos from today's media briefing on #COVID19

@DrTedros @WHOWPRO @pahowho @WHO_Europe @WHOEMRO @WHOAFRO @WHOSEARO The full briefing on #COVID19 by @DrTedros 👇
bit.ly/2PIK3iy