Coronavirus more deadly than flu but containable: WHO
Globally, about 3.4 percent of reported COVID-19 cases had died
LONDON (Reuters) - About 3.4% of confirmed cases of COVID-19 have died, far above seasonal flu’s fatality rate of under 1%, but the novel coronavirus can be contained, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, urged countries to prepare for patients with the virus turning up in their hospitals and ensure that health workers are protected.
But the world’s supplies of protective gear - masks, gloves and goggles - need to be increased by an estimated 40%, he said, adding: “We continue to call on manufacturers to urgently increase production to meet this demand and guarantee supplies.”
Globally, about 3.4 percent of reported COVID-19 cases had died, while seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1 percent of those infected, Tedros said.
“To summarize, COVID-19 spreads less efficiently than flu, transmission does not appear to be driven by people who are not sick, it causes more severe illness than flu, there are not yet any vaccines or therapeutics, and it can be contained,” he said.
Imposing travel restrictions and screening travelers should be part of the strategy, but are not enough, said Dr Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme.
“Countries that have relied purely on travel restrictions as the only public health intervention have not done so well, because when they have imported cases they subsequently have been caught off guard,” he said.
Authorities should focus on containment measures “but also be ready for community transmission and be able to mitigate”.
