WHO rolls out recommendations to curb COVID-19 spread, announces mask challenge

The World Health Organization has urged citizens to ‘do it all’ to prevent the spread of coronavirus pandemic. Speaking at a virtual press conference, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the organization has put forward a number of recommendation for countries to implement in order to bring the virus under control. 

"These range from sharing best practice, to enhancing political commitment and leadership for national strategies and localized response activities driven by science, data, and experience", he elaborated.

Calling it a sobering moment, he said that the emergency committee had avised that the outbreak constituted of Public Health Emergency of International Concern.  In his address, he also detailed the number of cases of coronavirus that have risen since the outbreak.

“Since then, the number of cases has increased more than fivefold to 17.5 million, and the number of deaths has more than tripled, to 680,00,” added Dr Ghebreyesus.

'Mask challenge' 

On a positive note, he said that WHO was launching a mask challenge, this week, with partners from across the world. The challenge encourages people to wear a mask and post their photographs on social media. “As well as being one of the key tools to stop the virus, the mask has come to represent solidarity,” he said.

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This comes as WHO ’s mission for laying the groundwork for COVID-19 origin probe in China has concluded, the organisations chief said on August 3. Speaking at the briefing, Ghebreyesus added that as a result, the team has now drafted “terms of reference” for a larger, international team to investigate further. China has been under constant pressures to open up its borders for international probe after the US experts alleged that the virus was artificially created by the communist nation. He added that following this, “epidemiological studies would begin in Wuhan to identify potential causes of the coronavirus pandemic. 

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