The COVID-19 pandemic remains a global health emergency and its growing spread to countries with weak health systems is of particular concern, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday ).
Three months after advising CEO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for the first time to declare a global health emergency due to the spread of the new coronavirus, he said, "The pandemic remains a public health emergency for international in scope ” . He added that he had "serious concerns about the potential impact" of the epidemic "as it begins to accelerate in countries with weaker health systems" .
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"As we have done clearly from the start, we will continue to call on countries to put in place a set of measures to detect, isolate, test and treat each case, and trace each contact," he said. he continued during a press briefing at WHO headquarters in Geneva. The UN agency also clarified that containment measures must be lifted gradually but that countries must remain vigilant and be able to reinstate restrictions if the virus spreads again.
Vulnerable people residing in institutions, including long-term care facilities, prisons and migrant centers, must be protected, said Dr. Michael Ryan in charge of the health emergency management program at WHO.