The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News , Press Conferences | WHO , UNOG , UNITED NATIONS
UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing COVID-19 Update - WHO
European COVID infections indicate ‘east-west divide’: WHO
Europe is seeing a “steady” decline in COVID-19 infections, although the generally positive trend has not happened in Russia and parts of Eastern Europe, the UN health agency said on Tuesday.
“In Western Europe we are seeing a steady decline – it’s not speedy – but there’s a steady decline in new cases being reported daily,” said Dr Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO).
Speaking via videoconference from WHO headquarters in Geneva, she added that although the level of new cases remained “significant”, the numbers reported “are coming down – except for Russia and Eastern Europe, we are still seeing the rise. So, it’s more an east-west picture in Europe.”
According to latest WHO data, Russia has identified 414,878 cases of infection with 4,855 deaths.
Asked about the significance of results from Wuhan city in China where authorities have just finished testing nearly 10 million people for infection, finding only 300 mainly asymptomatic cases, the WHO spokesperson insisted that much more research needed to be carried out globally to put this data into context.
“A big study like that gives you a little piece of the puzzle, gives you a little bit of information. But it may be related to a setting, there’s much more work that needs to be done around the world,” Dr Harris said.
Earlier this year, a WHO-led international mission to China and Wuhan – where the virus emerged last December - suggested that while asymptomatic transmission might play a part in spreading the disease, it did not appear to be not be the main “driver” of the outbreak, Dr Harris explained.
To date, China has reported 83,022 infections and 4,645 deaths, according to WHO.
“It was clear from the mission that returned from China, they said at the time that they did not think that asymptomatic - people who are asymptomatic - were significant drivers of the virus,” she said, referring to people who displayed no symptoms of the disease. “Now there have been different opinions on that and we really won’t have an answer until we have got that kind of data from around the world.”
Globally, on 2 June 2020, WHO reported more than six million confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 373,548 deaths.
The Americas is the epicentre by region, with more than 2.8 million cases, followed by Europe (2.2 million), Eastern Mediterranean (536,148), South-East Asia (272,512), Western Pacific (184,305) and Africa (108,121).
- Wide shot: exterior, Lake Geneva with the United Nations Palais des Nations across the water, shafts of sunlight on the surface, Jura mountains to rear.
- SOUNDBITE (EN) – Dr Margaret Harris, spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “In Western Europe we are seeing a steady decline – it’s not speedy – but there’s a steady decline in new cases being reported daily. So that means the number of new cases are still significant, but the numbers reported are coming down – except for Russia and Eastern Europe, we are still seeing the rise. So it’s more an east-west picture in Europe.”
- Wide shot: UN Geneva main entrance, elevated view of front gates.
- SOUNDBITE (EN) – Dr Margaret Harris, spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “A big study like that gives you a little piece of the puzzle, gives you a little bit of information, but it may be related to a setting, there’s much more work needs to be done around the world. So, we haven’t answered that – it was clear from the mission that returned from China, they said at the time that they did not think that asymptomatic - people who are asymptomatic - were significant drivers of the virus. Now there have been different opinions on that and we really won’t have an answer until we have got that kind of data from around the world.”
- Medium shot: anti-war memorial at the Place des Nations, Geneva, with UN Geneva across the square.
- Wide shot: “broken chair” sculpture at the Place des Nations, Geneva, with UN Geneva across the square
- Medium shot: UN Geneva Palais des Nations, flag alley, UN flag in centre of shot.
- Wide shot: UN Geneva Palais des Nations, flag alley, UN flag in distance.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNITED NATIONS
The Co-Chairs of the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance, Egriselda López, Permanent Representative of El Salvador to the UN and Rein Tammsaar, Permanent Representative of Estonia to the UN, together with Amandeep Gill, UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies, brief the media in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM
Millions of desperate Sudanese return home amid dire conditions as war rages – IOM
Three years into the devastating conflict in Sudan, nearly four million displaced people have returned to their places of origin across the country, only to face “another struggle for survival”, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNECE , IOM , WMO , UNMAS , UNESCO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the Co-Chairs of the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance, the Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies, the Deputy Director-General of the International Organization for Migration, as well as the spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations Mine Action Service, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNESCO
UNESCO protects cultural sites in war-torn Middle East, confirming damage to key heritage.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
The war in Gaza has inflicted a far higher toll on women and girls than in previous conflicts in the Palestinian enclave, with more than 38,000 killed by Israeli air bombardment and land military operations since Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel sparked the war in October 2023, UN Women said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
In 2025, nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, making it the deadliest year on record in South and Southeast Asia, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UN WOMEN , UNHCR , UNEP , UNIS
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of UN Women, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the United Nations Environment Programme.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA , IFRC
Lebanon faces escalating violence, with new mothers uncertain of safety amid ongoing crises.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | ICRC , IFRC , IOM , OCHA , UN WOMEN , UNECE , UNFPA , UNHCR , UNICEF , WFP
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Programme, the International Organization for Migration, UN Women, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
1
1
1
Edited News | FAO , UNHCR , WHO
Sudan: 14 million displaced; hunger and attacks on health continue as war enters fourth year
As Sudan approaches the third anniversary of a brutal civil war, millions remain displaced and hungry while the health system lies in ruins, with no end to the violence in sight, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the World Food Programme, UN Women, World Health Organization, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNHCR , WFP
Lebanon: People ‘still under the rubble’ after massive strikes as ambulances, hospitals come under threat – UN humanitarians
With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday.