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No, Covid-19 is not a flu. The WHO argues that Covid-19 is no longer considered a mild illness and, five months after the crisis begins, the organization warns that governments must take responsibility for the pandemic. Despite a relatively low mortality rate, the coronavirus should be considered a threatening virus, with serious health impacts.
According to the WHO, if 40% of those infected develop mild symptoms, there is an important group that suffers to restore their health, with various complications. In addition, 5% have a critical condition, compared to another 15% considered as serious cases.
Michael Ryan, WHO director of operations, at his press conference on Monday, said he fears the reactions of politicians and countries that continue to think the crisis is not serious. “We need to get our priorities right,” he said.
For weeks, governments insisted that the disease was not serious enough to warrant tougher positions or even confinement. One of the theses was that, if the virus circulated, the population would end up being immunized, even if a number did not survive.
Ryan cautioned that such a concept could be used for animals. But not for humans, since atoms matter. “We need to be cautious in using these terms,” he said, warning that the bills could end up being “brutal.”
According to him, there was the initial idea that only a few cases would be complicated and affect only the elderly. But, according to Ryan, studies have shown something very different. “The proportion of people with severe conditions is the highest among infected people,” he said, noting lack of energy, fragile conditions even among recovered people.
“We have a long way to go. This is serious. It is public enemy number 1,” he said. “We need to step back and re-calculate this as a mild illness,” he warned.
For Ryan, there is a risk that governments will make the same mistakes again as they did at the start of the crisis, when they did not take the disease seriously and took no action. “We have a second chance as a society to implement measures,” he said.
The director criticized governments that thought their populations would magically gain immunity. “And then we will lose some older ones along the way,” he said. “This is a dangerous calculation and I don’t think most members will. Most responsible governments will look at everyone in their society and will do everything they can to protect them and, of course, protect the economy. We need to set our priorities. right for people. ” next phases “, he defended.
Ryan also said he was concerned about countries “continuing to drive blindly,” referring to a lack of evidence and recognition of the seriousness of the case. According to him, some governments did not act at first and now they will have a second chance.
Another factor highlighted by the WHO is the existence of a very low proportion of the population with antibodies, between 1% and 10%. Most, therefore, remain successive to the virus. Until a vaccine appears, governments have no choice but to establish a package of measures. “We have a long way to go, many people can become infected,” said Maria van Kerkhove, the entity’s technical director. However, she guarantees that the world has the instruments to fight.
Quarantines worked
Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said the confinement measures taken by governments worked to contain even further expansion of the coronavirus. But he cautions that as European and Asian countries begin a transition out of quarantine, the criteria for reopening schools and workplaces must be met. Otherwise, the fear is that there will be a new wave of the outbreak.
“We have more than 4 million cases and governments have begun to phase out their containment measures. Many countries have used the time for a better ability to assess and isolate cases, which is the best way to control viruses,” he said.
“The good news is that (confinement) has managed to curb the virus and save lives,” said Tedros. “But they had a cost and we recognize the serious impact they have had on people’s lives, to the detriment of many,” he warned.
For Tedros, therefore, withdrawing the control measures is “key” for the economies. But he insists that “the eyes must remain vigilant so that control measures can be implemented again if the outbreak strengthens again.”
According to him, governments must answer three questions before making the decision to relax the quarantine:
– Is the outbreak under control?
– Can the health system handle new cases?
– Is there case monitoring to identify new cases and isolate them?
“This will determine whether the containment can be removed or not,” said Tedros. “And yet it is complex and difficult. We saw signs of the challenges that may arise over the weekend,” he said.
The CEO gave the example of South Korea, China and Germany. “Fortunately, these three countries have systems to respond,” he said.
For Ryan, “there are clear signs of hope.” But to avoid a second wave of pollution, governments must be “extremely vigilant.”
Schools
Criteria should also be implemented for possible school reopens:
– Understand how transmission occurs among children.
– If the school is located in a region of intense transmission
– School capacity to have prevention measures and case identification.
Maria van Kerkhove, WHO technical director, said studies show that children currently account for between 1% and 5% of cases of the disease. They are almost always contaminated by adults and rarely transmit. Most of the time, the cases are mild. But there are also records of serious cases and deaths.
According to her, there must be an adaptation of schools to try to leave children further from each other. “It is not only if the school can open, but also how,” he said.
In addition to schools, the WHO presents criteria on how companies and workplaces should act to mitigate the situation. For the entity, the pandemic should be part of the business plan from now on.
