by Laurent THOMET BEIJING, China (AFP) — The World Health Organization has warned against a global over-reaction to the new coronavirus epidemic following panic-buying, event cancellations and concerns about cruise ship travel, as China’s official death toll neared 1,900 on Tuesday. More than 72,000 people have now been infected in China and hundreds more abroad, although the WHO stressed the disease has infected a “tiny” proportion of people outside its epicenter and the mortality rate […]
Tag: WHO
Global experts begin meetings in China over virus: WHO
by Helen Roxburgh and Beiyi Seow BEIJING, China (AFP) — International experts have begun meeting with their counterparts in China over the new coronavirus epidemic, whose future path is “impossible” to predict, the World Health Organization said late Sunday. The number of new cases from China’s coronavirus epidemic dropped for a third consecutive day, but global concern remains high about its spread, emphasized by a US announcement that more than three dozen Americans from a […]
PHL polio cases hit 17 with latest infection in N. Ecija; Butuanon River in Cebu also test positive for poliovirus
https://youtu.be/lb_Zmuo-Jgw (Eagle News) The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday, Feb. 15, reported one confirmed polio case in Nueva Ecija which brings the total number of polio cases in the country to 17. At the same time, the DOH also confirmed that environmental samples collected from Butuanon River in Cebu had tested positive for the poliovirus. This was after the confirmatory tests done by the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine. The latest confirmed polio case […]
No major change in ‘trajectory’ of coronavirus outbreak: WHO
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization on Thursday said a sharp rise in reported COVID-19 cases in China, due to a change in counting methods, did not represent a big shift in the epidemic. China’s official death toll from the new coronavirus and the number of cases reported soared dramatically on Thursday after authorities altered the way they tally infections. “This does not represent a significant change in the trajectory of the outbreak,” […]
WHO says, ‘way too early’ to predict end of novel coronavirus
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The UN health agency on Wednesday cautioned it was “way too early” to say whether COVID-19 might have peaked or when it might end, following a drop in new cases. “I think it’s way too early to try to predict the beginning, the middle or the end of this epidemic right now,” Michael Ryan, head of WHO’s health emergency program, said at the agency’s daily news conference. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom […]
China virus death toll tops 1,100; but new cases fall for 2nd straight day
by Laurent THOMET Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — The death toll from China’s new coronavirus epidemic climbed past 1,100 on Wednesday but the number of new cases fell for a second straight day, as the World Health Organization urged global unity to combat the “grave threat”. As Beijing scrambles to contain the virus, the number of people infected on a cruise ship off Japan’s coast rose to 174 — the biggest cluster […]
WHO names deadly virus from China as ‘COVID-19’
by Dario THUBURN GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The UN health agency on Tuesday announced that “COVID-19” will be the official name of the deadly virus from China, saying the disease represented a “very grave threat” for the world but there was a “realistic chance” of stopping it. “We now have a name for the disease and it’s COVID-19,” World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva. Tedros said that “co” stands for […]
WHO head sees chance to stop virus which poses ‘grave’ threat
by Laurent Thomet and Jing Xuan Teng BEIJING, China (AFP) — Countries have a chance of stopping the global spread of the new coronavirus, the chief of the World Health Organization said Tuesday, urging them to work together against the outbreak. The WHO is holding a conference in Geneva on combatting the virus that Beijing is struggling to contain and which has killed more than 1,000, infected more than 42,000 and reached about 25 countries. […]
Taiwan seeks lifting of PHL travel ban, says it is “wrong” for Taiwan to be confused with China
(Eagle News) — Taiwan on Tuesday, Feb. 11, said that it would continue to communicate with the Philippine government in hopes of reversing a travel ban that the Philippines had imposed on Taiwan because of the novel coronavirus scare. Taiwan’s foreign ministry said that it was “wrong” for Taiwan to be confused with China after the Philippines included Taiwan on Monday in its travel ban, citing the World Health Organization (WHO) classification on Taiwan […]
WHO warns overseas virus spread may be ‘tip of the iceberg’
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The head of the World Health Organization has warned that confirmed cases of coronavirus being transmitted by people who have never traveled to China could be the “tip of the iceberg”. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ remarks come as members of a WHO-led “international expert mission” flew to China on Monday to help coordinate a response to the outbreak that has so far infected more than 40,000 people and killed 908 in the […]
World has ‘window of opportunity’ to halt virus spread: WHO chief
by Nina LARSON GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The dramatic measures taken by China to rein in the deadly new coronavirus outbreak have prevented significant spread abroad, providing a “window of opportunity” to halt transmission, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. But the UN health agency’s chief also called for greater solidarity, accusing some governments of wealthy countries of being “well behind” in sharing data on virus cases. “While 99 percent of cases are in China, […]
China admits ‘shortcomings’ in virus response
by Jing Xuan Teng and Beiyi Seow Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s top leadership has admitted “shortcomings and difficulties” in its response to the coronavirus outbreak, as state media said a new hospital built at breakneck pace began receiving patients in the epicenter of the crisis. Sixty-four new deaths were confirmed on Tuesday — surpassing Monday’s record to post the new biggest daily increase since the virus was detected late last year […]





