WHO Warns COVID-19 Is 'Going To Get Worse And Worse And Worse'

by GoNews Desk 3 years ago Views 1795

WHO Warns COVID-19 Is 'Going To Get Worse And Wors
The Coronavirus pandemic is ‘going to get worse and worse and worse’ if governments do not take a ‘comprehensive strategy’ focused on suppressing transmission and saving lives, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Monday.

“Let me be blunt, too many countries are headed in the wrong direction, the virus remains public enemy number one,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a media release.


“If basics are not followed, the only way this pandemic is going to go – it is going to get worse and worse and worse.”

He said, “The virus remains public enemy number one, but the actions of many governments and people do not reflect this. The only aim of the virus is to find people to infect. Mixed messages from leaders are undermining the most critical ingredient of any response: trust.  

If governments do not clearly communicate with their citizens and roll out a comprehensive strategy focused on suppressing transmission and saving lives;

If populations do not follow the basic public health principles of physical distancing, hand washing, wearing masks, coughing etiquette and staying at home when sick;

If the basics aren’t followed, there is only one way this pandemic is going to go.

It’s going to get worse and worse and worse.

But it does not have to be this way.

Every single leader, every single government and every single person can do their bit to break chains of transmission and end the collective suffering.

I am not saying it’s easy; it’s clearly not.

I know that many leaders are working in difficult circumstances.

I know that there are other health, economic, social and cultural challenges to weigh up.

Just today, the latest edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World was published, which estimates that almost 690 million people went hungry in 2019.

While it’s too soon to assess the full impact of COVID-19, the report estimates that 130 million more people may face chronic hunger by the end of this year.

There are no shortcuts out of this pandemic.

We all hope there will be an effective vaccine, but we need to focus on using the tools we have now to suppress transmission and save lives.

We need to reach a sustainable situation where we have adequate control of this virus without shutting down our lives entirely, or lurching from lockdown to lockdown; which has a hugely detrimental impact on societies.

I want to be straight with you: there will be no return to the “old normal” for the foreseeable future.

But there is a roadmap to a situation where we can control the disease and get on with our lives.

But this is going to require three things:

First, a focus on reducing mortality and suppressing transmission.

Second, an empowered, engaged community that takes individual behaviour measures in the interest of each other.

And third, we need strong government leadership and coordination of comprehensive strategies that are communicated clearly and consistently.

Latest Videos

Latest Videos

Facebook Feed