World Health Organization Coronavirus Update Transcript February 24: WHO Good afternoon everyone, and sorry for this delay. It’s a very busy day here for us in Geneva, and that will make us have this press conference very short, shorter than usual. Journalists online, it’s clicking [inaudible 00:00:20] time to ask questions. Those dialing in, star nine. Today we have Dr. Tedros, Dr. [inaudible 00:00:28] and Dr. Mike Ryan, that I don’t really need to introduce specifically. Today, we will start with the questions from journalists online. This is because we need to set up room in another part of the building where we’ll have Secretary General of the United Nations with a [inaudible 00:00:48] WHO. I will give the floor to Dr. Tedros immediately for his opening remarks. Dr. Tedros: ( 00:57 ) Yeah, thank you. Thank you, [Tariq 00:00:58]. Good afternoon, everyone. Let me start as always with the latest numbers. As of 6:00 AM Geneva time this morning, China has reported a total of 77,362 cases of COVID-19 to WHO, including 2,618 deaths. In the past 24 hours, China has reported 416 new confirmed cases and 150 deaths. We’re encouraged by the continued decline in cases in China. Earlier toady, the WHO joint China Joint Commission concluded its visit and delivered its report. As you know, the team has traveled to several different provinces, including Wuhan. The team has made a range of findings about the transmissibility of the virus, the severity of the disease, and the impact of the measures taken. They found that epidemic peaked and plateaued between the 23rd of January and the 2nd of February, and has been declining steadily since then. They have found that there has been no significant change in the DNA of the virus. They found that the fatality rate is between 2% and 4% in Wuhan and 0.7% outside Wuhan. They found that for people with mild disease, recovery time is about two weeks, while people with severe or critical diseases recover within three to six weeks. The team also estimate that the measures taken in China have averted a significant number of cases. Dr. Tedros: ( 03:09 ) The report contains a wealth of other information and highlights questions for which we still don’t have answers, and includes 22 recommendations. Dr. Bruce Aylward will give more details tomorrow on behalf of the joint team, but the key message that should give all countries hope, courage and confidence is that this virus can be contained. Indeed, there are many countries that have done exactly that. Outside China, that are now 2074 cases in 28 countries and 23 deaths. The sudden increase of cases in Italy, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Korea are deeply concerning. There is a lot of speculation about whether this increase means that this epidemic has now become a pandemic. We understand why people ask that question. WHO, as you know, has already declared a public health emergency of international concern, our highest level of alarm, when there were less than 100 cases outside China and 8 cases of human to human transmission. Our decision about whether to use the word pandemic to describe an epidemic is based on an ongoing assessment of the geographic spread of the virus, the severity of disease it causes, and the impact it has on the whole society. For the moment, we are not witnessing the uncontained global spread of this virus, and we are not witnessing larger scale severe disease or death. Does this virus have pandemic potential? Absolutely, it has. Are we there yet? From our assessment, not yet. Dr. Tedros: ( 05:23 ) How should we describe the current situation? What we see are epidemics in different parts of the world, affecting countries in different ways and requiring a tailored response. The sudden increase in new cases is certainly very concerning. I have spoken consistently about the need for facts, not fear. Using the word pandemic now does not fit the facts, but it may certainly cause fear. This is not the time to focus on what word we use. That will not prevent a single infection today or save a single life today. This is a time for all countries, communities, families and individuals to focus on preparing. We do not live in a binary black and white world. It’s not either or. We must focus on containment while doing everything we can to prepare for a potential pandemic. Dr. Tedros: ( 06:40 ) There is no one size fits all approach. Every country must make its own risk assessment for its own context. WHO is also continuing to do its own risk assessment and is monitoring the evolution of the epidemic around the clock, but there are at least three priorities. First, all countries must prioritize protecting health workers. Second, we must engage communities to protect people who are most at risk of severe disease, particularly the elderly and people with underlying health conditions. Third, we must protect countries that are the most vulnerable by doing our utmost to contain epidemics in countries with the capacity to do it. Dr. Tedros: ( 07:39 ) In the past few days, I have held meetings with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Indonesia, Cuba, the Republic of Korea, and I want to thank them for agreeing to support the response. I also wish to thank for the European Commission for its contribution of 232 million euros, which demonstrates the kind of global solidarity that gives me hope. France, Germany and Sweden have also announced additional contributions. This is a shared threat. We can only face it together, and we can only overcome it together. When we act together, countries, regional and global health organizations, the media, the private sector, and people everywhere our collective strength is formidable. Alone, we lose. Together, we win. I thank you.