WHO Declares Wuhan Virus an International Emergency

Published by Matt Fishman on

Today, an Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) “agreed that the outbreak (of the Wuhan coronavirus) now meets the criteria for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern”. WHO reported “[t]here are now 7711 confirmed and 12167 suspected cases [of the virus] throughout [China]. Of the confirmed cases, 1370 are severe and 170 people have died. 124 people have recovered and been discharged from hospital.” Outside of China, the coronavirus has been seen in “82 cases in 18 countries. Of these, only 7 had no history of travel in China.”

WHO’s Emergency Committee “believes that it is still possible to interrupt virus spread, provided that countries put in place strong measures to detect disease early, isolate and treat cases, trace contacts, and promote social distancing measures commensurate with the risk.”

WHO also applauded the Chinese government authorities, for their “efforts made to investigate and contain the current outbreak.”