COVID-19: UN expresses solidarity with India, WHO terms lockdown 'comprehensive and robust'

UN has expressed solidarity with India in its fight against coronavirus, with a top official at world body's health ncy praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 21-day nationwide lockdown as a "comprehensive and robust" response to raging COVID-19 pandemic.

Globally, death toll from coronavirus has risen to 18,915 with more than 422,900 cases reported in over 165 countries and territories, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

number of coronavirus cases in India stood at 562 on Wednesday with nine COVID-19 deaths reported so far, according to Health Ministry data.

In an attempt to stem spre of coronavirus in India, Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday anunced a nationwide lockdown for three weeks.

"United Nations stands in solidarity with India in its fight against COVID-19,” said a video mess tweeted by United Nations News on Tuesday, UN's multimedia news service.

video also took te of 'Janta Curfew' observed across India on Sunday, when country's 1.3 billion citizens stayed at home from 7 am to 9 pm in an effort to practice social distancing.

Heeding to a call by Modi, people came out on ir balconies, windows and courtyards to applaud selfless work of medical professionals on frontlines in fight against COVID-19.

rmally bustling streets across India wore a deserted look throughout day as people participated in curfew. UN News video showed foot of empty ros and urban s on Sunday, just two days before Modi anunced nationwide lockdown for three weeks.

"India is on a 21-day lockdown to try and prevent COVID-19 pandemic from taking hold. @UN health ncy @WHO urged Gov to take 'aggressive action',” UN News tweeted.

WHO Representative to India Henk Bekedam praised country's response to pandemic, describing it as "comprehensive and robust".

"Massive efforts have been me towards prevention and containing spre, including strengning surveillance, laboratory capacity, contact tracing and isolation and risk communications," Bekedam said.

He said Prime Minister's call for social distancing h received widespre community support across country.

"It is vital that we come toger in solidarity and help in breaking chain of transmission and flattening curve," he said.

WHO and or UN partners have been working closely with Indian government on preparedness and response measures, disease surveillance, laboratory and research protocols, risk communications, training on infection prevention and control and cluster containment plan, surveillance and tracking of travellers.

Speaking at press briefing in Geneva on Monday, WHO Emergencies Programme Director Mike Ryan h said that it was important for India to ramp up measures at public health and societal level to control and suppress disease.

"India is a hugely populous country. future of this pandemic will be determined by what happens to densely-populated countries," he said.

Ryan said India, world's second most populous country, h a tremendous capacity to deal with coronavirus outbreak as it has experience of ericating small-pox and polio through targeted public intervention.

"India led world in ericating two silent killers and eliminating m from country," he said on Monday.

India, through targeted public intervention, ended smallpox and gave a great gift to world. India also ericated polio, he ted.

"India has tremendous capacities. It is exceptionally important that countries like India le way to show world what can be done. re are easy answers. It is exceptionally important that countries like India show way to world as y have done before," he said.

Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Tedros ham Ghebreyesus on Monday warned that coronavirus pandemic was clearly "accelerating" but said it was still possible to "change trajectory" of outbreak.

" pandemic is accelerating," Tedros told journalists in a virtual news briefing.

He said it took 67 days from beginning of outbreak in China in late December for virus to infect first 100,000 people worldwide.

In comparison, it took 11 days to reach a total of 200,000 cases and just four days for third 100,000 cases to bring total number of cases worldwide to more than 300,000, he said, estimates that Modi cited as he dressed nation on Tuesday and anunced three-week long lockdown.