World Health Organisation Director, Dr Tedros Adhonam Gebreyesus, has warned countries that they must stay vigilant as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic can re-occur where the virus has been controlled. Speaking exclusively to the SABC, Gebreyesus says the recent cluster outbreak in Beijing, China, has been reported to the WHO.
He says more than 100 cases have been reported in Beijing.
In the video below, Gebreyesus speaks about the cluster outbreak in Beijing:
“The first report came last week, a cluster of cases around 50 and this week, more than 100 cases have been already reported from Beijing and they’re doing their best and they’re continuing to investigate what happened and also taking measures and we’re following it closely. This will be a problem in other countries too.
After you have suppressed it, controlled it – there could be a resurgence of clusters in cases. Public health in any country should be strengthened. The early detection, testing, contact tracing so when something like this happens, we mobilise quickly to identify, understand and control it as quickly as possible. The same thing has happened in other countries and we expect it in other countries. We have to be prepared,” Dr Gebreyesus says.
On Monday, Mainland China reported 40 new confirmed COVID-19 cases for 15 June, down from 49 a day earlier. The National Health Authority said, 27 of the new cases were in Beijing, down from 36 a day earlier.
It was great to join the UN @globalcompact Virtual Leaders Summit & participate in the conversation on rebuilding a world where no one is left behind. I shared 5 @WHO asks for the private sector in the fight against #COVID19 ⬇️
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 16, 2020
WHO calls on countries critical of the organisation to await the report on the handling of COVID-19 pandemic.
The WHO has called on countries that have attacked the organisation on the handling of the COVID-19 outbreak to wait for the review report that has been commissioned by the World Health Assembly.
The United States has withdrawn funding from the WHO, accusing it of being too soft on China, where the outbreak started.
Dr Gebreyesus has defended the UN organisation against, what many say, is the targeting of its leadership by the US.
“The US like other countries should wait. For WHO knowing the truce is actually what we want, knowing the truce is actually the WHO wants and based on the evaluation, anyone can take action so that’s what my advice is. We will do the evaluation, we will be done in consultation with member states, we will know the truce and then based on that we will learn lessons in order to prevent anything from happening in the future but at the same time if anyone is going to be held accountable, that assessment, that evaluation can help us to make people or organisations accountable.”
More than 73 000 people have been infected with COVID-19 in South Africa, while 1 568 others have succumbed to the disease. Thirty-nine-thousand-867 others have recovered from the virus.
