Thread by @WHO

Media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros pscp.tv/w/c-JyZXR3LTE0…

@DrTedros "Last Friday, the Ministry of Health of #Guinea informed WHO of a case of #Marburg virus disease in the country’s south-west, in a man who died 8 days after onset of symptoms. This is the first known case of Marburg in West Africa"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1424809246219292677?s=20

@DrTedros "WHO and our partners are supporting #Guinea’s Ministry of Health to investigate the source of the #Marburg outbreak, trace contacts, and inform the local community about how to protect themselves"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "About 150 contacts have been identified and are being followed up, including three family members and a health worker, who have been identified as high-risk close contacts"-@DrTedros #Marburg #Guinea

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1425445666461999104?s=20

@DrTedros "#Marburg is a very different virus to the one that causes #COVID19, but many of the elements of the response are the same: isolating and caring for those infected, tracing and quarantining their contacts, and engaging local communities in the response"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "There is no licensed vaccine for #Marburg, although there are vaccines under development, and WHO is working with our partners to seek opportunities to assess them during this outbreak through the R&D Blueprint for Epidemics"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "By contrast, we have several effective vaccines for #COVID19, and yet cases and deaths continue to rise"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1425445979889836037?s=20

@DrTedros "Last week, the 200 millionth case of #COVID19 was reported to WHO, just six months after the world passed 100 million reported cases. And we know that the real number of cases is much higher"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "Whether we reach 300 million [#COVID19 cases], & how fast we get there, depends on all of us. At the current trajectory, we could pass 300 million reported cases early next year. But we can change that. We’re all #InThisTogether, but the 🌍 is not acting like it"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "We already have many tools to prevent, test & treat #COVID19, incl. oxygen, dexamethasone & IL-6 blockers. But we need more, for patients at all ends of the clinical spectrum, from mild to severe disease. We need 👩‍⚕️ that are trained to use them in a safe environment"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "In October, WHO reported results of the Solidarity Trial, which tested 4 treatments for #COVID19, involving almost 13K patients in 500 🏥, in 30 countries. It showed that the 4 drugs had little or no effect on hospitalized patients. We expect final results next month"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "We're pleased to announce the next phase in the Solidarity trial, called Solidarity PLUS that will test 3 drugs:
Artesunate, a treatment for severe malaria
Imatinib, a drug for certain cancers
Infliximab, a treatment for immune system disorders"-@DrTedros
bit.ly/37wB6RF

"These drugs were chosen by an independent panel of experts that evaluates all the available evidence on all potential therapeutics.
The [Solidarity PLUS] trial involves thousands of researchers at 600+ hospitals in 52 countries"-@DrTedros #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1425447905624838150?s=20

@DrTedros "I'd like to thank the governments, hospitals, researchers & patients who are participating in the [Solidarity PLUS] trial, as well as the three manufacturers who have donated the drugs for the trial: Ipca, Novartis & Johnson & Johnson"-@DrTedros #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1425447905624838150?s=20

@DrTedros "One of the first countries to enrol patients in the Solidarity PLUS trial is #Finland. We’re honoured to be joined by 🇫🇮’s Minister of Social Affairs & Health, @HSarkkinen. Thank you, Your Excellency, for your leadership in advancing research on therapeutics"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros @HSarkkinen "One of the strengths of the Solidarity PLUS trial is that it is a truly global study, with researchers all over the world participating"-@DrTedros #COVID19
bit.ly/37wB6RF

@DrTedros @HSarkkinen "We’re joined by two principal investigators in the Solidarity PLUS trial: @ProfessorSow, Director of the Center for Vaccine Development in 🇲🇱, & Professor Marco Medina, from the National Autonomous University of 🇭🇳"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros @HSarkkinen @ProfessorSow "WHO remains committed to working with you and with all of the researchers and patients in the trial to advance the science, find new solutions, and to do it all in solidarity"-@DrTedros #COVID19 bit.ly/37wB6RF

The full remarks by @DrTedros on #COVID19 media briefing - 11 August 2021 👇 bit.ly/3iBt7ZW