Thread by @WHO

Live: @DrTedros' opening remarks at the #EBSpecial on #COVID19 pscp.tv/w/ckmgyzI2MTAy…

"It seems incredible to think that when the #EB146 met in Feb, there were just 151 cases & 1 death outside 🇨🇳 of what we now call #COVID19.

Today, almost 35M cases of COVID-19 have now been reported to WHO, & 1M+ people are reported to have lost their lives"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

"Numbers can blind us to the reality that every single life lost is someone who loved & was loved by others – someone’s mother, father, someone’s sister, someone’s brother, daughter or son.

They are the reason we’re here"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1313091027239088132?s=20

"Although all countries have been affected by #COVID19, we must remember that this is an uneven pandemic.

10 countries account for 70% of all reported cases and deaths, and just 3 countries account for half"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

"What we’ve learned in every region of the 🌍 is that with:

-Strong leadership

-Clear & comprehensive strategies

-Consistent communication

-Engaged, empowered & enabled population

it’s never too late. Every #COVID19 situation can be turned around"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

"Since the beginning of the #COVID19 pandemic, WHO has worked around the clock to support countries to prepare and respond to this new virus"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial bit.ly/3neFefP

"On the 30th of January, I declared a public health emergency of international concern – the highest level of alarm under international law.

Just 4 days later, WHO published our first strategic preparedness and response plan"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1222968733829865477?s=20

"But even before that, one of our highest priorities was to rapidly identify the new virus & enable countries to test for it.
Within 2 weeks of the 1st cases being reported to WHO, we developed & published the 1st protocol for developing a PCR test"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19

"On the 2nd of February the first #COVID19 tests were produced & we began shipping them around the 🌍.

At the same time, we worked to expand PCR testing capacity around the 🌍, leveraging national influenza centres & building capacity where it was lacking"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

"Since then we have distributed millions of #COVID19 tests to more than 150 countries.

No laboratory test in history has been developed and deployed as rapidly"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

"WHO didn’t isolate the virus, we didn’t sequence or publish the genome, we didn’t manufacture the assays and we don’t make PCR machines.

But it was WHO that connected the dots to give countries the capacity to find and respond to this new virus"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19

"10 months ago, #COVID19 was completely unknown to the 🌍. We've now published more than 400 guidance documents for individuals, communities, schools, businesses, industries, health workers, health facilities & governments"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19

bit.ly/3jGuTHL

"Through the OpenWHO.org online learning platform, we have built country capacity by providing free training in 133 #COVID19 courses, from infection prevention & control to clinical management, operational planning, data collection & much more"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

"Our country teams have worked closely with governments to write national plans and identify needs, and to match those needs with more than 600 partners and 74 donors through the groundbreaking #COVID19 Partners Platform"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

"WHO and our partners sent expert missions to more than 130 countries to provide operational and technical support"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19

"We have sourced, validated, purchased & delivered masks, gloves, respirators, gowns, goggles, swabs, tests, reagents, thermometers, oxygen concentrators, ventilators and more, to 177 countries & territories around the world"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19

"More than 12,000 patients have now been enrolled in the WHO #COVID19 Solidarity Therapeutics Trial, in nearly 500 hospitals in 29 countries"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial bit.ly/COVID19Solidar…

"In April, the Access to #COVID19 Tools Accelerator was born – an unprecedented global partnership that is delivering tangible results, based on two objectives:

-accelerating development of products

-fair distribution"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

#ACTogether

"Together with our partners, last week we reached an agreement to make 120 million new rapid #COVID19 tests available to low- and middle-income countries"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #ACTogether

https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1310668578316857355?s=20

"As soon as data were published showing #dexamethasone was effective in treating patients with severe #COVID19, we secured critical supplies for up to 4.5M patients, to ensure patients in lower-income countries don’t miss out on this life-saving medicine"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

"COVAX is supporting the development of 9 #COVID19 vaccines, with more in the pipeline.
168 countries & economies are covered by the facility, representing over 2/3 of the 🌍’s population & we are still in discussion with another 25 countries"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #ACTogether

"WHO doesn’t have the mandate or the capacity to do everything. But we do have the unique mandate & capacity to coordinate the 🌍 #COVID19 response, by harnessing the collective strength of our many partners across the @UN system & beyond"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

"And it has only been possible because of you, our Member States.

This is your WHO"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1313102995064860676?s=20

"The guidance we provide is not just written by WHO staff, it’s developed in close consultation with experts from your national institutions, drawing on professional networks developed over decades"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1313103094608261122?s=20

"Everything we have accomplished together in the past 9 months has only been possible because of the deep-rooted transformation that we have designed & implemented together over the past 3 years"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19

"Working with the Emergencies programme & building on the R&D Blueprint, our newly-formed Science Division has brought researchers from around the 🌍 to identify priorities, initiated Solidarity Trial & quality-assured our scientific publications & guidance"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

"New Division of Emergency Preparedness has developed the #COVID19 Partners Platform, supported intra-action reviews & is working closely with the Universal Health Coverage divisions to improve & maintain public health functions & essential health services"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

"Our transformation started with the 13th General of Programme of Work, which you endorsed two years ago, with a new mission statement and the ambitious “triple billion” targets"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19

bit.ly/30QTMcf

"Health and well-being, universal health coverage and emergency preparedness and response are three strands of a rope that together provide strong support for social, economic and political stability"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1313103589578018817?s=20

"Our first priority must be to keep people healthy & out of 🏥, by addressing the root causes of disease in the air people breathe, the food they eat, the water they drink & the environment in which they live & work"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

"When people do need health services, those services must be accessible, affordable and high-quality"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19 #HealthForAll

"Just as many countries invest heavily in their military capacity in case of conflict, so they must invest in robust public health capacities to prepare for, prevent, detect and respond rapidly to outbreaks when they occur"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19

"The #COVID19 pandemic is a powerful demonstration of why the “triple billion” targets we are so important & why we must pursue them with even more determination.

We’re on the right path, but we need to:

-go faster

-go further

-go together"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

"The #COVOD19 pandemic is a wake-up call for all of us. We must all look in the mirror & ask what can we do better?
We are totally committed to accountability. And we are committed to continuous learning, continuous listening & continuous improvement"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

"For us, change is a constant.

We can never sit still.

Science and disease patterns are constantly evolving – and so must WHO"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19

"#COVID19 has demonstrated that highly infectious pathogens cannot be contained by any single sovereign state.
We can only confront them by working together in solidarity, & with a One Health approach, addressing the links between human, animal & planetary health"-@DrTedros

"With the northern hemisphere #influenza season approaching & #COVID19 cases increasing in many countries, there are 3⃣ key priorities for the next 3⃣ months.

1⃣ we must realize the full potential of the ACT Accelerator"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #ACTogether

"2⃣we must all continue to make the most of the tools we have:
#handhygiene
physical distancing
respiratory etiquette
#WearAMask
ventilation
surveillance
isolation
compassionate care
contact tracing & quarantine
We know all this works and that’s why WHO says: do it all"-@DrTedros

"3⃣ I will never tire of calling for solidarity. Finger-pointing will not prevent a single infection. Apportioning blame will not save a single life. What saves lives is national unity and global solidarity"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial #COVID19 #ACTogether

"Everyone must play their part, from the individual decisions we make to protect ourselves & others, to the discussions we will have this week on behalf of the people we serve. We’re all in this together. Let’s use all the energy we have to fight #COVID19"-@DrTedros #EBSpecial

The full remarks by @DrTedros at the #EBSpecial on #COVID19 👇 bit.ly/3jxDiNl