World Health Organization (WHO) says there is a “window of opportunity” to stop the deadly new coronavirus becoming a broader global crisis.Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the steps China took to fight the virus at its epicentre were a good way of stopping its spread.
The praise comes as Chinese officials have been widely criticised for their initial handling of the outbreak.
On Tuesday alone, nearly 4,000 new cases were confirmed in the country.
The death toll has now risen to 490, an increase of 65 deaths in mainland China in one day, the latest figures from the country’s National Health Commission said. All the new fatalities were in Hubei province, the centre of the outbreak.
In China alone, there are now more than 24,300 cases, with a much smaller number of cases in other countries around the globe.
Two people have died of the disease outside of mainland China – one in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines.
Dr Tedros also reiterated his call for countries not to impose travel and trade restrictions, saying 22 nations had officially reported such measures. He urged them to be “short in duration, proportionate” and reviewed regularly.
But Chen Xu, China’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, said some restrictions went against the WHO’s advice and told countries not to over-react.
Post Your Comments