Thread by @WHO

Media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros pscp.tv/w/caPDmTI2MTAy…

"We now have more than 6 million cases of #COVID19 across the 🌍 and have lost more than 370,000 people to the virus"-@DrTedros

"As we work with governments across the 🌍 to suppress the virus and accelerate science around diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, we also continue to respond to other health emergencies and new disease outbreaks"-@DrTedros

"The Government of the #DRC announced today that a new outbreak of #Ebola virus disease has been detected near the city of Mbandaka in Équateur province"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1267446244793888769?s=20

"The announcement follows a complex #Ebola outbreak in eastern #DRC, which seems to be in its final phase.

WHO will continue supporting DRC in tackling Ebola, as well as responding to #COVID19 and the world’s largest measles outbreak"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1267446254738513920?s=20

"Every week, WHO continues to provide the world with new and updated technical guidance, based on the best evidence.

During the #COVID19 pandemic, we have seen that mass gatherings have the potential to act as super spreading events"-@DrTedros

"To assist groups planning such gatherings, WHO released updated guidance to help organisations determine how and when mass gatherings can safely resume"-@DrTedros #COVID19 bit.ly/2Xob2nu

"For example, WHO has worked closely with several sporting organizations including @FIFAcom, @ChampionsLeague, @F1 and religious groups including @OIC_OCI, which oversees the Hajj, as they conduct risk assessments around mass gatherings"-@DrTedros #COVID19

"WHO has updated its risks assessment tool so that organisations can score each risk factor & control measure, which results in an overall risk score.

Ultimately WHO advises on the risk assessment & then organizations make the decision on how best to proceed"-@DrTedros #COVID19

"While we all want sporting events to restart, we want to make sure that it is done as safely as possible"-@DrTedros #COVID19 bit.ly/2Xob2nu

"We all know that the impacts of #COVID19 extend well beyond the death and disease caused by the virus itself.

The pandemic has forced countries to make difficult choices about suspending some health services"-@DrTedros

"Building on previous guidance on maintaining essential health services through the #COVID19 pandemic, today we are providing operational guidance on how best to put that into practice"-@DrTedros
bit.ly/3dr9tuE

"Ensuring coordination and development of new ways to deliver care while limiting visits to health facilities is key to keeping people safe and ensuring health systems are not overburdened"-@DrTedros #COVID19 bit.ly/3dr9tuE

"This means using digital technologies to deliver some routine services remotely, and expanding the amount of medications delivered to the home"-@DrTedros #COVID19 bit.ly/3dr9tuE

"One of the areas in which health services have been particularly affected is in care for people with noncommunicable diseases including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease or a chronic respiratory disease"-@DrTedros #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1267476052424753154?s=20

"We already know that people living with noncommunicable diseases are more vulnerable to becoming severely ill or dying from #COVID19.
At the same time, many people living with NCDs are no longer able to access the medicines that they need"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1243245825184215040?s=20

"WHO conducted a rapid assessment of service delivery for noncommunicable diseases during the #COVID19 pandemic with 155 countries submitting data"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1267451155153588226?s=20

"The results show that:
-over half of the countries surveyed have partially or completely disrupted services for treatment of hypertension
-half for treatment of diabetes & related complications
-42% for cancer treatment
-31% for cardiovascular emergencies"-@DrTedros

"Rehabilitation services have been disrupted in almost 2/3 of countries.

The #COVID19 response must therefore be inclusive of the health-care needs of people living with noncommunicable diseases"-@DrTedros

bit.ly/2UeAbPV

"One of the main causes of noncommunicable diseases is tobacco.
This year’s WHO’s #WorldNoTobaccoDay focused on reaching young people to educate them on tobacco industry tactics used to manipulate them into using deadly products that kill 8 million people every year"-@DrTedros

"Even during the global #COVID19 pandemic, where we know tobacco puts users at a higher risk of severe disease & death, the tobacco & nicotine industry persist with their dangerous marketing tactics that aim to attract new users"-@DrTedros #TobaccoExposed

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1266856688998645768?s=20

"Just as we continue to respond to well-known health threats like tobacco, we’re also responding to one of the most urgent challenges of our time: the threat of #antimicrobialresistance"-@DrTedros

"I’m glad to say a record number of countries are now monitoring and reporting on #antibioticresistance - marking a major step forward in the global fight against drug resistance"-@DrTedros bit.ly/36NYDwx

"But the data they provide reveals that a worrying number of bacterial infections are increasingly resistant to the medicines we have traditionally treated them with"-@DrTedros #AntibioticResistance

"As we gather more evidence, it’s clear that the 🌍 is losing its ability to use critically important antimicrobial medicines all over the world.
On the demand side, in some countries there is an overuse of antibiotics & antimicrobial agents in both humans & animals"-@DrTedros

"However, in many low- and middle-income countries these lifesaving medicines are out of reach for those that need them, leading to needless suffering and death"-@DrTedros #AntibioticResistance

"On the supply side, there is essentially very little market incentive to developing new antibiotics and antimicrobial agents, which has led to multiple market failures of very promising tools in the past few years"-@DrTedros #AntibioticResistance

"As well as finding new models to incentivize sustainable innovation, as seen with the #COVID19 solidarity trial, we must find ways to accelerate viable candidates"-@DrTedros #AntibioticResistance

"The #COVID19 pandemic has led to an increased use of antibiotics, which ultimately will lead to higher bacterial resistance rates that will impact the burden of disease and deaths during the pandemic and beyond"-@DrTedros #AntibioticResistance

"In the recent Clinical Management of #COVID19, Interim Guidance, WHO has outlined the appropriate use of antibiotic therapy for medical professionals to treat patients.

Therefore, both tackling #antimicrobialresistance, while also saving lives"-@DrTedros

"I will conclude by saying that we have received questions about Friday’s announcement by the @POTUS.

The world has long benefited from the strong, collaborative engagement with the government and the people of the #UnitedStates 🇺🇸"-@DrTedros

The 🇺🇸 contribution and generosity towards global health over many decades has been immense, and it has made a great difference in public health all around the world.

It is WHO’s wish for this collaboration to continue"-@DrTedros

The full remarks by @DrTedros 👇 bit.ly/2ZVjpbU