Thread by @DrTedros

Today I briefed @WHO's Member States on #COVID19 and our decision to describe it as a pandemic. We have made this assessment for two main reasons:
-the speed & scale of transmission
-the lack of political commitment in some countries to control it, despite our frequent warnings.

Describing #COVID19 as a pandemic does not mean that countries should give up.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀.

#COVID19 is a controllable pandemic. Countries that decide to give up on fundamental public health measures (like case finding and contact tracing) may end up with a larger problem, and a heavier burden on the health system that requires more severe measures to control.

.@WHO urges all countries to take a comprehensive approach tailored to their circumstances – with containment as the central pillar.

https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1237741601151205376?s=20

.@WHO is working day and night and stands ready to support all countries to fight #COVID19.

Here is my full briefing from today: bit.ly/3cQffWV