‘No country should assume it won’t get COVID-19 cases, that would be a fatal mistake’, WHO
The head of WHO’s emergency programme said that Iran, which had the most deaths outside China, might be dealing with an outbreak that is worse than expected.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that it will be a ‘fatal mistake’ for any country to assume that it won’t be affected by the novel coronavirus. He said that the rich countries, who thought they’re safe, should expect a lot of surprises.
The head of WHO’s emergency programme said that Iran, which had the most deaths outside China, might be dealing with an outbreak that is worse than expected.
“No country should assume it won’t get cases, that would be a fatal mistake, quite literally,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
“And I even say if you take Italy, a member of the G7, it was really a surprise. So even many other developed countries you also see some surprises, should expect some surprises.” He continued.
According to Tedros, the epidemics in South Korea, Italy and Iran are at a ‘decisive point’.
The outbreak was declared a global emergency by WHO on 30th January 2020. The organization has urged countries to prepare isolation wards, awareness campaigns and screening.
“This virus has pandemic potential. This is not a time for fear. This is a time for taking action to prevent infection and save lives now.” Tedros said.
Iran reported that the death toll in the country had increased drastically, it is now the country with the highest number of deaths outside China. The death rate in Iran among people suffering from Coronavirus is 10%. It is an indication that the disease may have spread further than Iran revealed in its official documents.
“I don’t suspect it has anything to do with clinical care, more to do with surveillance”, said the head of WHO’s emergencies programme, Dr. Mike Ryan
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