Tag: WHO

WHO suspends trials of hydroxychloroquine as virus treatment

  by Nina LARSON Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization said on Monday it had temporarily suspended clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for coronavirus. The decision came after a study published in The Lancet medical journal last week suggested the drug could increase the risk of death among COVID-19 patients, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference. Tedros said the executive group of the […]

South America ‘a new epicentre’ of COVID-19: WHO

  GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — South America has become “a new epicentre” of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization said Friday, following a surge in the number of COVID-19 infections. “In a sense, South America has become a new epicentre for the disease. We have seen many South American countries with increasing numbers of cases,” WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan told a virtual news conference. “Clearly there is a concern across many of […]

WHO faces virus probe after Trump threat

by Nina LARSON with Michael MATHES in Washington and AFP bureaus Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — World Health Organization member states agreed Tuesday to launch an investigation into its coronavirus response, after US President Donald Trump threatened to quit the UN agency and branded it a “puppet of China”. Trump has been locked in a bitter spat with Beijing, alleging it covered up the initial COVID-19 outbreak in central China late last year […]

Spraying disinfectants can be ‘harmful’, says WHO

  GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Spraying disinfectant on the streets, as practised in some countries, does not eliminate the new coronavirus and even poses a health risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Saturday. In a document on cleaning and disinfecting surfaces as part of the response to the virus, the WHO says spraying can be ineffective. “Spraying or fumigation of outdoor spaces, such as streets or marketplaces, is… not recommended to kill the […]

PHL gov’t’s plan on “gradual” easing of restriction “in phases” incorporated WHO guidelines – Galvez

Says country cannot afford a long ECQ   (Eagle News) – The Philippine government is implementing “gradual” easing of restrictions in a “phased manner” which takes in consideration the precautionary measures given by the World Health Organization. This was according to Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the country’s national action plan against COVID-19. He said that the WHO recommendations on easing of quarantine restrictions have been incorporated in the Philippine government’s plan on […]

WHO urges ‘extreme vigilance’ as countries exit lockdown

by Nina LARSON GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization on Monday hailed dwindling COVID-19 infection rates and deaths in some countries, but called on nations to show “extreme vigilance” as they begin loosening their restrictions. Swathes of Europe began the long process of reopening from coronavirus lockdowns on Monday, with officials in countries like France and Spain emboldened by declining death rates. “The good news is that there has been a great deal […]

COVID-19 cases worldwide surpass 4 million; WHO calls for global solidarity to fight disease

  (Eagle News) – Coronavirus cases worldwide have surpassed 4 million, and the virus pandemic killing more than 279,000 people, as scientists in various parts of the world race to find a vaccine against COVID-19. It’s a scale that the world has not seen before, and the World Health Organization is stressing that until a vaccine is developed, the world needs to stand together to beat this pandemic. As of the latest tally from Johns […]

Recovery from coronavirus may not confer immunity, warn experts

by Amélie BOTTOLLIER-DEPOIS Agence France Presse Even as virologists zero in on the virus that causes COVID-19, a very basic question remains unanswered: do those who recover from the disease have immunity? There is no clear answer to this question, experts say, even if many have assumed that contracting the potentially deadly disease confers immunity, at least for a while. “Being immunized means that you have developed an immune response against a virus such that […]

Positive tests for recovered virus patients are not reinfections: WHO

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Coronavirus patients declared recovered who later test positive for the disease are still expelling dead lung cells rather than getting a new infection, the World Health Organization (WHO) told AFP on Wednesday. South Korean health officials reported more than 100 such cases in April, raising concerns that patients who had recovered could become reinfected. “We are aware that some patients test positive after they clinically recover,” a WHO spokesperson told AFP, […]

Funds raised for virus vaccine ‘powerful’ show of solidarity: WHO

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization hailed the billions of euros raised Monday during a teleconference of world leaders to boost development of a coronavirus vaccine as a strong show of “global solidarity”. “This was a powerful and inspiring demonstration of global solidarity,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing, of the 7.4 billion euros ($8.1 billion) raised towards the development and distribution of a vaccine for the virus that causes […]

US President Trump points finger at China lab as WHO asks to join virus probe

  by Sebastian Smith, with AFP bureaus Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump has said he has seen evidence the new coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab, an assertion that threatened on Friday to turn a global health emergency into a diplomatic crisis. The US president’s statement was immediately undermined by intelligence officials and top diplomat Mike Pompeo, who said: “We don’t know precisely where it began.” But the […]

‘World should have listened to WHO’ on virus: director

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization’s director-general said Monday that the agency had sounded the highest level of alarm over the novel coronavirus early on, but lamented that not all countries had heeded its advice. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pointed out that the WHO warned the COVID-19 outbreak constituted a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” on January 30, when there were no deaths and only 82 cases registered outside China. “The world should […]