Coronavirus: ‘This is not a drill’, warns WHO boss as Covid-19 continues to spread
The head of the World Health Organisation has warned that the continued spread of the coronavirus is “not a drill” as the number of worldwide cases approaches 100,000.
WHO‘s director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it would require significant action from public health authorities to contain Covid-19.
Tedros admitted he was concerned by the lack of political commitment in some countries to containing the outbreak, which did not match the level of threat.
He did not single out which countries he was referring to.
“This is not a drill. This is not the time to give up. This is not a time for excuses. This is a time for pulling out all the stops. Countries have been planning for scenarios like this for decades. Now is the time to act on those plans,” Tedros said.
“This epidemic can be pushed back, but only with a collective, coordinated and comprehensive approach that engages the entire machinery of government.”
It comes as the US reveals it does not have enough coronavirus test kits to match the growing number of cases.
Vice-president Mike Pence said the country would not be able to deliver on its target of producing 1m test kits this week.
The White House has however moved hastily to implement an emergency aid package to combat the outbreak.
There are now more than 98,000 cases globally, although just over 80,000 of these are in mainland China, where the outbreak originated.
In the US there are more than 227 cases of coronavirus across 20 states. On Thursday the death toll rose to 12, all but one of which are in Washington state.
Tedros warned that all governments “should be preparing for sustained community transmission.”
“Our message to all countries is: This is not a one-way street. We can push this virus back. Your actions now will determine the course of the outbreak in your country,” he said.