WHO Director-General Tedros warns against risk of lockdown easing

GENEVA: As more and more countries consider how to ease the so-called lockdown restrictions, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the exit measures should be done extremely carefully.

"The risk of returning to lockdown remains very real if countries do not manage the transition extremely carefully and in a phased approach," he said at an online press conference from Geneva on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

He reiterated six criteria which WHO recommends countries to consider, including strong surveillance, to isolate, test and treat every case and trace every contact, sufficient preventive measures in workplaces and schools and full cooperation of the public in the post-lockdown "new norm."

According to the WHO chief, more than 3.5 million cases of COVID-19 and almost 250,000 deaths have now been reported to WHO, and since the beginning of April, an average of around 80,000 new cases have been reported every day.

"These are not just numbers — every single case is a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a brother, sister or friend," Tedros said.

Strong and resilient health systems are the best defense against pandemics and the multiple health threats of the world, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"The pandemic has highlighted the importance of strong national and sub-national health systems as the foundation of global health security," Tedros said at a virtual press conference on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to Tedros, on current trends, more than five billion people will lack access to essential health services by 2030 — including the ability to see a health worker, access to essential medicines, and running water in hospitals.

"Gaps like these don't just undermine the health of individuals, families and communities, they also put global security and economic development at risk," he said.

Saying that the world spends around US $7.5 trillion on health each year, almost 10 per cent of global GDP, the WHO chief emphasized that the best investments are in promoting health and preventing disease at the primary health care level. "Prevention is not only better than cure, it's cheaper, and the smartest thing to do," he said. (IANS) 

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