Thread by @WHO

Media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros. #coronavirus pscp.tv/w/cVYH6jI2MTAy…

"We’re delighted to be joined today by @KGeorgieva, the Managing-Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Kristalina will say more in a few mins about the economic impact of the #COVID19 pandemic & what the IMF is doing to support countries & the 🌍 economy"-@DrTedros

"More than 1 million confirmed cases of #COVID19 have now been reported to WHO, including more than 50,000 deaths.
But we know that this is much more than a health crisis. We are all aware of the profound social and economic consequences of the pandemic"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

"The restrictions many countries have put in place to protect health are taking a heavy toll on the income of individuals & families, & the economies of communities & nations. We are in a shared struggle to protect both lives & livelihoods"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

"In the short term, countries can ease the burden on their populations through social welfare programs to ensure people have food & other life essentials"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

"For some countries, debt relief is essential to enable them to take care of their people & avoid economic collapse. This is an area of cooperation between WHO, the IMF and the @WorldBank"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

"The best way for countries to end restrictions & ease their economic effects is to attack the #coronavirus, with the aggressive & comprehensive package of measures that we've spoken about many times before: find, test, isolate & treat every case & trace every contact"-@DrTedros

"If countries rush to lift restrictions quickly, the #coronavirus could resurge & the economic impact could be more severe & prolonged.
Financing the health response is an essential investment not just in saving lives, but in the longer-term social & economic recovery"-@DrTedros

"There are 3 main areas for countries to focus on.

1⃣we call on all countries to ensure core public health measures are fully funded, including case-finding, testing, contact tracing, collecting data, and communication and information campaigns"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

"2⃣ we also call on countries and partners to strengthen the foundations of health systems. That means #healthworkers must be paid their salaries, and health facilities need a reliable supply of funding to purchase essential medical supplies"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

"3⃣ we call on all countries to remove financial barriers to care.

If people delay or forego care because they can’t afford it, they not only harm themselves, they make the #COVID19 pandemic harder to control and put society at risk"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

"Several countries are suspending user fees & providing free testing and care for #COVID19, regardless of a person’s insurance, citizenship, or residence status.

We encourage these measures. This is in an unprecedented crisis, which demands an unprecedented response"-@DrTedros

"Suspending user fees should be supported with measures to compensate providers for the loss of revenues.

Govs should also consider using cash transfers to the most vulnerable households to overcome barriers to access"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

"This may be particularly important for refugees, internally displaced persons, migrants and the homeless"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

"The #COVID19 pandemic is also having an effect on the fight against other diseases, like polio"-@DrTedros

"In recent years we have driven #polio to the brink of eradication. This has been a massive global effort, started by @Rotary, supported by many other partners, and led by thousands of #healthworkers, vaccinating children in some very difficult and dangerous areas"-@DrTedros

"Many of those #healthworkers are now supporting the #COVID19 response. They are tracing contacts, finding cases and providing public health information to communities"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

"To reduce the risk of increasing transmission of #COVID19, the #polio oversight board has made the hard decision to suspend house-to-house vaccination campaigns, knowing that this may lead to an increase in polio cases"-@DrTedros

"To reduce this risk, we will support countries to maintain essential immunization for all vaccine preventable diseases.

WHO has published guidance for countries on how to maintain essential health services even while responding to this crisis"-@DrTedros #COVID19

"The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is working to ensure that once it is safe to do so, countries can be supported to rapidly restart polio vaccination campaigns.
While all our energy may be focused on #COVID19 now, our commitment to #EndPolio is unshakeable"-@DrTedros

"Sadly, there are reports from some countries of an increase in domestic violence since the #COVID19 outbreak began.
As people are asked to #stayhome, the risk of intimate partner violence is likely to increase"-@DrTedros #EndViolence

"Women in abusive relationships are more likely to be exposed to violence, as are their children, as family members spend more time in close contact, and families cope with additional stress and potential economic or job losses"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #EndViolence

"Women may have less contact with family & friends who may provide support & protection from violence.

We call on countries to include services for addressing domestic violence as an essential service that must continue during the #COVID19 response"-@DrTedros #EndViolence

"If you are experiencing or at risk of domestic violence, speak to supportive family & friends, seek support from a hotline, or seek out local services for survivors"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #EndViolence

"Make a plan to protect yourself & your children any way you can. This could include having a neighbour, friend, relative, or shelter identified to go to should you need to leave the house immediately"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #EndViolence

"There is never any excuse for violence. We abhor all violence of all forms, at all times"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #EndViolence

"The global response to #COVID19 would not be possible without the generosity of countries & partners.

Two months ago, WHO issued its Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, with an initial ask of 675 million U.S. dollars to support the response"-@DrTedros

"I’m delighted to say that almost 690 million dollars has now been pledged or received. Of this amount, 300 million has been given to support WHO’s work, and the rest has been given on a bilateral basis, or to other organizations involved in the response"-@DrTedros #COVID19

"I’d like to thank 🇰🇼, which today is becoming one of the largest donors, with a total of USD 60M.

WHO’s Solidarity Response Fund has now raised over USD 127M from over 219K individuals & orgs. I’d like to thank @TencentGlobal for its contribution of USD 10M"-@DrTedros

"I’m also pleased to announce that I have invited @UNICEF to join the #COVID19 Solidarity Response Fund. Unicef has extensive experience both in fundraising & in implementing programmes & our partnership will help us to work together closely to save lives"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

"We still have a long way to go in this fight. WHO is working every day with all countries and partners to save lives, and to mitigate the social and economic impact of the #COVID19 pandemic"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

The full briefing on #COVID19 by @DrTedros 👇
bit.ly/2X2GMix