The World Health Organization (WHO) has been working these days on new data that China has provided on the coronavirus. Last Monday, its director, Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, pointed out that, based on the information available to them, it seems that the cases of Covid-19 have decreased . However, “this trend must be interpreted with great caution as it may change as new populations are affected. It is too early to tell if this reported decline will continue. Every stage is still on the table, ”Gebreyesus commented.
If a few days ago the microbiologist Raúl Rivas told us that “we are talking about a very contagious virus, yes, but the mortality rates are relatively low “, the WHO comes to say the same and that is that the data released last Monday point to that only 2% of reported cases are fatal. In fact, so far pre-Covid-19 coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS have more lethal effects.
“In about 14% of cases, the virus causes serious illness, including pneumonia and shortness of breath. And about 5% of patients have a critical illness that includes respiratory failure, septic shock, and multi-organ failure, ”Gebreyesus noted.
Another interesting point to keep in mind is that the risk of dying from Covid-19 increases with age , the older you are, the more ballots you have. “We see relatively few cases among children. More research is needed to understand why, ”said the WHO director.
Gebreyesus sees a need for more funding, more specifically $ 675 million, to help countries prepare for Covid-19. For now, he has deployed a team of experts to China to better understand the outbreak, sent test kits to laboratories around the world, and protects healthcare workers with personal protective equipment.
As for travel in Asia, the WHO rules out for now banning cruises in the Asian continent or limiting travel to avoid contagion . The Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is under quarantine in the Japanese port of Yokohama, has registered 454 infected. Of the 300 US citizens evacuated, 14 are infected, as confirmed by the US Government. Some scientists have criticized this quarantine measure for the risk of contagion it entails among travelers.
The World Health Organization considers that these are manageable risks and that proportionate measures must be taken between the rights of passengers and the common good.
“ Outside of Hubei this epidemic is affecting a very, very, very small proportion of people . So if we are going to disrupt every cruise ship in the world in the unlikely event that there is a possible contagion with a possible pathogen, where do we stop? Do we close boats around the world? What happens when another country is affected, do we take the same measures? We have to be extremely careful about what we do and rely on public health, evidence, and the principle that there is no zero risk. Everyone on this planet understands that it is impossible to reduce risks to zero, “said Michael Ryan, head of the WHO emergency program.
