UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing: Coronavirus Update - WHO
/
2:58
/
MP4
/
219.3 MB

Edited News | WHO , UNITED NATIONS

UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing: Coronavirus Update WHO

Coronavirus deaths surpass 1,000 as scientists gather at WHO headquarters to discuss next steps

Deaths from the coronavirus epidemic have surpassed 1,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Tuesday, as hundreds of health experts embarked on a key meeting at its headquarters in Geneva to help decide next steps.

“As of 6am Geneva time this morning, there were 42,708 confirmed cases reported in China and tragically we now have surpassed 1,000 deaths,” said Fadela Chaib, WHO spokesperson.

“To be precise, it’s 1, 017 people in China who have lost their lives to this outbreak. Outside China, we have 393 cases in 24 countries with one death; the one death is in the Philippines.”

As infections tick up since novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was declared in central China on 31 December, Ms. Chaib noted that this was likely owing to a “combination” of improved screening and detection measures.

“It’s a combination; you are seeing more cases because we are detecting more cases and also because it’s a backlog of cases that are now being tested in labs,” she explained.

The development comes as some 300 scientists, public health agencies, ministries of health and research funders convened for an expert two-day meeting at WHO to share the latest information about the virus and decide how best to confront it.

Currently, there is no vaccine to protect against it and no proven therapeutics to infections, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told those gathered at WHO headquarters for the Research and Innovation Forum on novel coronavirus 2019.

Appealing to participants for their scientific insight, Tedros also called for answers to many unknowns relating to the epidemic.

These include the virus’s “reservoirs”, Tedros said, as well as its transmission dynamics and period of infectiousness, which samples to use for diagnosis and monitoring, along with discussions around how to manage severe cases of infection and any ethical issues that may surface relating to research requirements.

This is not a meeting about politics or money. This is a meeting about science,” he insisted.
“There is still so much we don’t know….We need your collective knowledge, insight and experience to answer the questions we don’t have answers to, and to identify the questions we may not even realize we need to ask.”
One of the hoped-for outcomes of the meeting is an agreed roadmap for research around which researchers and donors will align.

A key imperative was the sharing of samples and sequences of the coronavirus, Tedros said, before insisting that “to defeat this outbreak, we need open and equitable sharing, according to the principles of fairness and equity”.
Following the West African Ebola outbreak, the UN health agency devised a strategy for developing drugs and vaccines before future epidemics, and for accelerating research and development activities during outbreaks.
In line with this protocol, an “R&D Blueprint” team at WHO began work in early January this year, to coordinate and facilitate information-sharing on research elements of the response, Tedros explained.
Echoing the WHO Director-General’s comments, Ms. Chaib told a news conference that much was still unknown about the virus, which remains principally a threat in China.

“We are still in the very early stage of understanding this virus,” she said. “How it is transmitted, the source of the virus, the incubation period, the clinical feature, the severity of it, etc…99 per cent of cases are in China; this remains very much an emergency for that country, but it’s also a high risk for the region, Asia region and for the world.”

Discussing the work of the coronavirus forum at the WHO, Ms. Chaib reiterated the hope that scientists would share information across many cross-cutting areas.

“They are not only talking about vaccines or therapeutics or diagnostic tests, they will also talk about the human-animal interface of this virus,” she said. “They will also talk about the clinical features of the patients they have seen, they will share information about all of this.”

She added: Three hundred high-level scientists is a lot, in my opinion, and they are also working in networks in networks and organisations. The information is shared, we are sharing the genome sequencing of the virus with hundreds of laboratories worldwide, so there is a real international mobilisation against this novel coronavirus.”

In response to a question that the incubation period of the coronavirus might turn out to be longer than two weeks - the currently accepted timeline - the WHO spokesperson underscored that “we have a lot of unknowns with this virus. We are saying it’s from one to 14 days. But we are welcoming all sorts of studies and scientific papers that provides more and more knowledge to the scientific community to better understand this outbreak and the virus itself.”

  1. Exterior shot, flag alley, windy and bright, UN Palais des Nations.
  2. Wide shot, press room, journalists, podium.
  3. SOUNDBITE: Fadela Chaib, Spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “As of 6am Geneva time this morning, there were 42,708 confirmed cases reported in China and tragically we now have surpassed 1,000 deaths, to be precise, it’s 1, 017 people in China who have lost their lives to this outbreak. Outside China, we have 393 cases in 24 countries with one death; the one death is in the Philippines.”
  4. Medium shot, row of journalists, in profile.
  5. Medium shot, journalists working on laptops.
  6. SOUNDBITE: Fadela Chaib, Spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO):: “It’s a combination, you are seeing more cases because we are detecting more cases and also because it’s a backlog of cases that are now being tested in labs.”
  7. Close-up, journalist typing on laptop.
  8. SOUNDBITE: Fadela Chaib, Spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO):: Ninety-nine per cent of cases are in China; this remains very much an emergency for that country, but it’s also a high risk for the region, Asia region and for the world.”
  9. Medium shot, journalists.
  10. SOUNDBITE: Fadela Chaib, Spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “We are still in the very early stage of understanding this virus; how it is transmitted, the source of the virus, the incubation period, the clinical feature, the severity of it, etc.”
  11. Medium shot, journalist writing on notepaper.
  12. SOUNDBITE: Fadela Chaib, Spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “They are not only talking about vaccines or therapeutics or diagnostic tests, they will also talk about the human-animal interface of this virus, they will also talk about the clinical features of the patients they have seen, they will share information about all of this.”
  13. Medium shot, journalists.
  14. SOUNDBITE: Fadela Chaib, Spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “Three hundred high-level scientists is a lot, in my opinion and they are also working in networks in networks and organisations. The information is shared, we are sharing the genome sequencing of the virus with hundreds of laboratories worldwide, so there is a real international mobilisation against this novel coronavirus.”
  15. Medium shot, journalist typing on laptop, semi-profile.
  16. SOUNDBITE: Fadela Chaib, Spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “We have a lot of unknowns with this virus. We are saying it’s from one to 14 days. But we are welcoming all sorts of studies and scientific papers that provides more and more knowledge to the scientific community to better understand this outbreak and the virus itself.”
  17. Medium shot, journalists, semi-profile.
  18. Close-up, journalist wearing headphones, UN logo and speaker partly obscured.

Similar Stories

Gaza aid update - OCHA 30 May 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA

Gaza aid update - OCHA 30 May 2025 ENG FRA

Gaza ‘hungriest place on earth’ with aid stymied – UN humanitarians

Starving Gazans continue to be deprived of aid as international relief efforts are being severely constrained by the Israeli authorities, the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA said on Friday.

Gaza humanitarian update - OCHA, UNRWA

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , UNRWA

Gaza humanitarian update - OCHA, UNRWA ENG FRA

As a controversial United States and Israel-backed aid distribution plan gets underway in Gaza, the UN called on Tuesday for an “immediate surge” of its own pre-positioned supplies to help prevent starvation.

Uganda UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani  urges president to reject bill allowing trials of civilians in military courts

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

Uganda UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani urges president to reject bill allowing trials of civilians in military courts ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani today urged Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to reject a bill that was recently endorsed by parliament allowing trials of civilians in military courts. The Uganda People’s Defence Forces Amendment Bill 2025, which was passed on 20 May and now awaits presidential signature to become law, among others broadens the jurisdiction of military courts, authorising them to try a wide range of offences against civilians.

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango: South Sudan: UN human rights chief decries escalating hostilities, arbitrary arrests and hate speech

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango: South Sudan: UN human rights chief decries escalating hostilities, arbitrary arrests and hate speech ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today warned of a further deterioration in the human rights situation in South Sudan at the bi-weekly briefing in Geneva.

Syria humanitarian update OCHA - WHO 23 May 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , WHO

Syria humanitarian update OCHA - WHO 23 May 2025 ENG FRA

Syria: ‘Staggering’ needs amid insecurity, health care crisis  - UN humanitarians

Millions of people in Syria continue to face mortal danger from unexploded munitions, disease and malnutrition and urgent support is required, UN humanitarians said on Friday.

Gaza health update - UNRWA - OCHA - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | UNRWA , OCHA , WHO

Gaza health update - UNRWA - OCHA - WHO ENG FRA

UN life-saving aid allowed to trickle into Gaza as civilian needs mount

Amid calls for more humanitarian trucks to enter the food and medicine-deprived Palestinian enclave of Gaza, UN humanitarians have received permission from Israel for “around 100” more aid trucks to cross into the Strip after only five were let in yesterday,  But the scale of relief efforts allowed remains entirely insufficient to meet the urgent needs of people there, humanitarian workers say.

Press vests becoming a target - war reporter Christina Assi

1

1

1

Edited News

Press vests becoming a target - war reporter Christina Assi ENG FRA

A war reporter from Lebanon who lost a limb in the line of duty is calling for an end to impunity for attacks against journalists.

ITU 160th Anniversary - 17 May 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | ITU

ITU 160th Anniversary - 17 May 2025 ENG FRA

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) commemorated 160 years dedicated to connecting the world on Saturday, 17 May in Geneva, Switzerland, during the annual World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.

Gaza humanitarian update – WHO, OCHA 16 May 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO , OCHA

Gaza humanitarian update – WHO, OCHA 16 May 2025 ENG FRA

Gazans ‘in terror’ after another night of deadly strikes and siege

Amid reports that Israeli strikes across Gaza into Friday killed at least 64 people, aid teams once again pushed back strongly at allegations that aid is being diverted to Hamas and pleaded for the blockade to end.

UN Human Rights raises human rights concerns about deportations from the United States of America

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights raises human rights concerns about deportations from the United States of America ENG FRA

Deportations over recent months of large numbers of non-nationals from the United States of America, especially to countries other than those of their origin, raise a number of human rights concerns, the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned on Tuesday.   

Gaza health update - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO

Gaza health update - WHO ENG FRA

Gaza: Over 50 child malnutrition deaths amid aid blockade; entire generation will be ‘permanently affected’ - WHO

In the aid desert of Gaza, malnourished children are dying while survivors can expect a lifetime of dire health problems, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

Gaza aid update - UNICEF, UNRWA, WHO 09 May 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO , UNICEF , UNRWA

Gaza aid update - UNICEF, UNRWA, WHO 09 May 2025 ENG FRA

Israel’s aid plan will force Gaza families to choose ‘between displacement and death’ – UN humanitarians

Israel’s plan to take control of relief assistance in Gaza risks increasing the suffering of families already exhausted by 18 months of war by putting their lives in danger and inciting more displacement, using aid as “bait”, UN humanitarians said on Friday.