The WHO has upped the global risk assessment that the novel coronavirus poses from moderate to high risk but have not yet declared the outbreak an international public health emergency.
Christian Lindmeier from the World Health Organization (WHO) told journalists in Geneva that although their previous report assessed the risk of the coronavirus as ‘moderate’ at the global level, their latest report has increased this risk to ‘high’, confirming that the virus risk assessment at both the global and regional level “is High, and for China it is Very High”.
The latest number of confirmed cases WHO has received is 4,428 from within China with 106 deaths, and 45 confirmed cases outside of China, in 13 countries.
Understanding the time when infected patients may transmit the virus to others is critical for control efforts, to strengthen response efforts, Lindmeier told journalists. He confirmed that “scientists and medical staff on the ground have learned that the incubation period can be anything between one and 14 days,” admitting that despite symptoms varying during this period, showing no symptoms at all to showing mild, moderate or severe symptoms , “people can transmit the virus within this time.” Detailed epidemiological information from more people infected is needed to determine the infectious period of 2019- nCoV, in particular whether transmission can occur from asymptomatic individuals or during the incubation period, WHO reports confirmed.
Regarding human-to-human transmission, WHO admitted to transfer occurring mainly among close contacts and health care workers whereas a brief window for limited transmission may also occur through shared surfaces, as Lindmeier confirmed. “It stays on the surfaces yes, but if you touch a door handle, for example, or if I would cough into my hand and pass you my phone, immediately it could transfer”.
WHO’s spokesperson said that the time range for this sort of transmission was not confirmed, but it seemed to be “fairly short” if you passed the location of infection “half an hour later, there should not be a problem anymore.”
“It definitely is an emergency,” Lindmeier noted but emphasized that “it is an emergency in China” as most cases still trace back to Wuhan, the city where the virus was said to have been first transmitted. He told journalists that although the virus does not yet warrant an international emergency crisis to be declared as “it has not widely spread outside of China”.
Christian Lindmeier stressed the need “to be prepared” with a coordinated international response and addressing crucial unknowns. A combination of public health measures, such as rapid identification, diagnosis and management of the cases, identification and follow up of the contacts, infection prevention and control in healthcare settings, implementation of health measures for travellers, awareness raising in the population, and risk communication, have been put forth by the WHO to prevent further spread of the virus.
Christian Lindmeier reiterated that “self-protection is still the best possible way we can go about this.” He noted that this virus mimics symptoms similar to the flu, and that “as it behaves flu-like, you can also protect yourself as you would against someone who has the flu.”
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and colleagues are in Beijing to meet with government and health experts supporting the response. The mission’s aim is to understand the latest developments and strengthen the partnership with China, in particular for the response.
1
1
1
Edited News , B-roll | OCHA
Gaza: ‘Worst-case scenario’ unfolds as two-month aid blockade deepens suffering - OCHA
Two months into a devastating aid blockade of Gaza food has run out and people are fighting over water amid relentless bombing, the UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) said on Friday.
/Includes OCHA footage from Gaza City/
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
Children in Gaza are going to bed starving, says aid agency
The biggest UN aid agency in Gaza on Tuesday condemned the two-month Israeli blockade on Gaza that has left families sharing a single tin of food at mealtime and the sick and injured without lifesaving medical help, amid daily bombardment.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
Ongoing Russian attacks in Ukraine force frontline areas to empty: UNHCR
With Ukrainian cities still reeling from this week’s deadly Russian missile and drone attacks, communities on the front line continue to be targeted too, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday. “We also see attacks on frontline regions increasing and it's, as always, civilians that are bearing the highest cost of the war,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Funding and supply shortfalls for the UN World Food Programme (WFP)'s work in Ethiopia will halt lifesaving treatment for 650,000 malnourished women and children at the end of the month. “We are at the breaking point,” it said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue to kill and injure civilians, and destroy civilian infrastructure, raising concerns regarding the protection of civilians, the UN Human Rights Office warned today.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNWOMEN , UNDP
Sudan: Aid teams report massive displacement after latest Darfur atrocity; women’s bodies ‘turned into battlegrounds’
In Sudan’s North Darfur, tens of thousands of people have fled a displacement camp following the massacre of civilians and aid workers as the country enters the third year of a conflict marked by horrific levels of sexual violence, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | ITC
Global trade could shrink by three per cent as a result of the United States’ new tariff measures which in the longer term could reshape and boost as-yet untapped regional commercial links, a top UN economist confirmed on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Warring parties in Sudan are overseeing a wholesale assault on human rights amid global inaction, the UN Human Rights Office said on Friday, as the conflict is about to enter its third year.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday said Israel’s increasing issuance of so-called “evacuation orders” for Palestinians in Gaza have resulted in their forcible transfer.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR , UNHCR , UNWOMEN , WFP , WHO
Two years of war in Sudan have created epic suffering, aid agencies say
Two years since Sudan’s brutal conflict began, UN agencies warned that famine is spreading and civilians of all ages continue to suffer shocking abuse, including rape and gang rape.
1
1
Edited News | UNMAS
In Gaza, ongoing Israeli military operations and the aid blockade have continued to add to daily fears and hardships confronting those in the devastated enclave, the UN Mine Action Service, UNMAS, said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNDP
Dangers grow for Myanmar earthquake survivors, health system 'overwhelmed' - UNDP
In earthquake-shattered central Myanmar people are sleeping in the streets in fear of buildings collapsing, facing early monsoon rains and the risk of waterborne diseases, the UN Development Programme warned on Tuesday.