Thread by @WHO

LIVE: Daily media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros #coronavirus pscp.tv/w/cS0kVjI2MTAy…

@DrTedros "We have now had 2 weeks without a single reported case of #Ebola in 🇨🇩 & there are currently no patients receiving treatment. This is very good news for the whole 🌍 & especially for the thousands of #healthworkers who have sacrificed so much in the fight against it"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "But as one epidemic looks like ending, another is becoming increasingly complex.

There is now a total of 90,893 reported cases of #COVID19 globally & 3110 deaths.

In the past 24 hours, #China reported 129 cases, the lowest since the 20th of January"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros "Outside 🇨🇳, 1848 #COVID19 cases were reported in 48 countries. 80% of those cases are from just three countries: 🇰🇷, 🇮🇷 & 🇮🇹.

12 new countries have reported their first cases & there are now 21 countries with one case only.

122 countries have not reported any cases"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "The actions these newly-affected countries take today will be the difference between a handful of cases and a larger cluster"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros "We understand that people are afraid & uncertain. Fear is a natural human response to any threat, esp. when it’s a threat we don’t completely understand.
But as we get more data, we are understanding this #coronavirus & the disease it causes, more & more"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros "This #coronavirus is not SARS, it’s not MERS & it’s not influenza. It is a unique virus with unique characteristics.

Both #COVID19 & influenza cause respiratory disease & spread the same way, via small droplets of fluid from the nose & mouth of someone who is sick"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "However, there are some important differences.

First, #COVID19 does not transmit as efficiently as influenza.

With influenza, people who are infected but not yet sick are major drivers of transmission, which does not appear to be the case for COVID-19"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros "Evidence from 🇨🇳 is that only 1% of reported #COVID19 cases do not have symptoms & most of those cases develop symptoms within 2 days.

Some countries are looking for cases of COVID-19 using surveillance systems for influenza & other respiratory diseases"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros "Countries such as 🇨🇳, 🇬🇭, 🇸🇬 & elsewhere have found very few cases of #COVID19 among such samples – or no cases at all"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros "The only way to be sure is by looking for #COVID19 antibodies in large numbers of people, and several countries are now doing those studies. This will give us further insight into the extent of infection in populations over time"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros "WHO has developed protocols on how these studies should be done, and we encourage all countries to do these studies and share their data"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros The second major difference is that #COVID19 causes more severe disease than seasonal influenza.

While many people globally have built up immunity to seasonal flu strains, COVID-19 is a new #coronavirus to which no one has immunity"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "Globally, about 3.4% of reported #COVID19 cases have died. By comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1% of those infected"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros "Third, we have vaccines & therapeutics for seasonal flu, but at the moment there is no vaccine & no specific treatment for #COVID19. However, clinical trials of therapeutics are now being done & more than 20 vaccines are in development"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros "Fourth, we don’t even talk about containment for seasonal flu – it’s just not possible. But it is possible for #COVID19. We don’t bother with contact tracing for seasonal flu – but countries should do it for COVID-19, because it will prevent infections & save lives"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "These differences mean we can’t treat #COVID19 exactly the same way we treat flu. But there are enough similarities to mean that countries are not starting from scratch. For decades, many countries have invested in building up their systems to detect & respond to flu"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "Because #COVID19 is also a respiratory pathogen, those systems can, should and are being adapted for COVID-19"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros "We are concerned that countries’ abilities to respond are being compromised by the severe & increasing disruption to the global supply of personal protective equipment – caused by rising demand, hoarding & misuse"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros "Shortages are leaving doctors, nurses & other frontline #healthworkers dangerously ill-equipped to care for #COVID19 patients, due to limited access to supplies such as gloves, medical masks, respirators, goggles, face shields, gowns & aprons"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros "We can’t stop #COVID19 without protecting #healthworkers.
Prices of surgical masks have increased six-fold, N95 respirators have more than trebled & gowns cost twice as much"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros "Supplies can take months to deliver, market manipulation is widespread & stocks are often sold to the highest bidder.

WHO has shipped nearly half a million sets of personal protective equipment to 27 countries, but supplies are rapidly depleting"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros "WHO estimates that each month 89m medical masks will be required for the #COVID19 response; 76m examination gloves & 1.6m goggles.
WHO has guidelines on how to rationalize the use of personal protective equipment in health facilities & manage supply chains effectively"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "We’re working with governments, manufacturers & the Pandemic Supply Chain Network to boost production & secure supplies for critically affected & at-risk countries.
🌍, it is estimated that personal protective equipment supplies need to be increased by 40%"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros "We continue to call on manufacturers to urgently increase production to meet this demand & guarantee supplies"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros "We have called on governments to develop incentives for manufacturers to ramp up production. This includes easing restrictions on the export & distribution of personal protective equipment & other medical supplies"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros "Once again, this is a question of solidarity. This cannot be solved by WHO alone, or one industry alone. It requires all of us working together to ensure all countries can protect the people who protect the rest of us"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros The full briefing on #COVID19 by @DrTedros 👉 bit.ly/2PDR9or

@DrTedros @WHOWPRO @pahowho @WHO_Europe @WHOEMRO @WHOAFRO @WHOSEARO Here are some photos from today's media briefing on #COVID19