WHO terms COVID-19 '10 times deadlier than swine flu', lists lockdown relaxation criteria

Addressing a press briefing on Monday, WHO Director-General Dr.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus opined that COVID-19 is 10 times deadlier than the 2009 Swine flu pandemic. Mentioning that several countries were caught in the dilemma of when to lift restrictions or impose a lockdown, he maintained that any such decision should be guided by protecting human health. At the same time, he called upon countries to ensure that containment measures are not at the expense of human rights. Moreover, Dr.Tedros added that the WHO would be publishing its updated strategic advice on April 14 to support the countries in making these decisions. 

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WHO lays down 6 criteria

The WHO's strategic advice contains 6 criteria for countries to determine whether they should lift the restrictions. This includes whether the transmission is controlled, health capacity to detect, test, isolate, treat and trace, minimization of outbreak risk, prevention measures in schools, workplaces, and other places. The other criterias are whether importation risk can be managed and the willingness of the community to adjust to the new norm. Furthermore, the WHO Director-General called upon nations to implement a comprehensive set of measures to save lives and slow down COVID-19 transmission. 

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