coronavirus

Man Yi

‘This is a time for facts, not fear,’ says WHO chief as COVID-19 virus spreads

15 February 2020
Health

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday cautioned against panic over COVID-19 but also urged governments to step up their efforts to prepare for the virus, saying “it’s impossible to predict which direction this epidemic will take.” 

UN News/Jing Zhang

World Health Organization: Coronavirus must generate ‘solidarity not stigma’

14 February 2020
Health

Investing in preparedness is the smartest way to ensure that the coronavirus and other disease outbreaks are “identified and stopped quickly”, the UN health agency said on Friday.

UN News/Jing Zhang

Outside China, Coronavirus transmission ‘iceberg’ may not be as big as feared

13 February 2020
Health

As infections from COVID-19 coronavirus continue to rise, a senior UN health expert on Thursday said that there were some indications that disease transmission outside China might not be the tip of the “iceberg” that had been feared.

UN News/Jing Zhang

UN health agency developing COVID-19 virus treatment master plan

12 February 2020
Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) is developing a master plan for coordinating clinical trials that could lead to potential therapies for patients infected with the COVID-19 virus, the agency’s chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced on Wednesday.

Man Yi

Meeting of top scientists underway to slow coronavirus spread

11 February 2020
Health

Deaths from the coronavirus epidemic have surpassed 1,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Tuesday, as hundreds of health experts began meeting at its headquarters in Geneva to help halt the spread of the disease, now officially known as COVID-19.

UN News/Laura Quiñones

Coronavirus containment is the key, as infections tick up: Tedros

10 February 2020
Health

Governments should continue to treat containment of the coronavirus as a priority, the head of the UN health agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Monday.

UN News/Li Zhang

Coronavirus: demand for face masks creates shortfall for those in real need 

7 February 2020
Health

Unprecedented global demand for face masks and other protective equipment fuelled by the coronavirus epidemic, has created potentially dangerous shortages for those who need them most, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday. 

UN News/Jing Zhang

Slight fall in coronavirus infections ‘nothing to celebrate’, says UN health agency

6 February 2020
Health

A slight drop overnight in the number of people infected by the new coronavirus is welcome but “nothing to celebrate”, a top UN health official said on Thursday.

Man Yi

$675 million appeal to stop coronavirus in its tracks, as deaths rise

5 February 2020
Health

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) appealed on Wednesday for $675 million to boost international measures to counter the new coronavirus epidemic, as deaths from the outbreak neared 500.

Man Yi

Coronavirus: UN health agency moves fast to tackle ‘infodemic’; Guterres warns against stigmatization

4 February 2020
Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken steps to ensure that the coronavirus epidemic that has claimed hundreds of lives in central China does not spark a dangerous social media “infodemic” fuelled by false information.