Coronavirus has been declared a pandemic by WHO, but it is not time to panic… yet

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the Coronavirus, Covid-19 a pandemic.

A pandemic refers to a worldwide spread of new disease.

In announcing the move the UN body said:

Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death.

Describing the situation as a pandemic oes not change WHO’s assessment of the threat posed by this #coronavirus. It doesn’t change what WHO is doing, and it doesn’t change what countries should do

We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a #coronavirus. And we have never before seen a pandemic that can be controlled at the same time.

WHO has been in full response mode since we were notified of the first case.

So does that mean you and should be worried. Perhaps. As for panic, not so much.

First of, pandemic has no threshold. So you are not looking at severity but just the fact that the new disease is spreading. Also it does not look at how many countries are needed to define it as such.

Secondly, of the 118,000 cases in 114 countries that do have confirmed cases of Covid-19, four countries make up 90% of the numbers. 81 countries including Zimbabwe have not reported any cases while 57 have 10 or less cases according to WHO data.

That said, WHO has called for action to minimise spread by mobilising people to that end which does also throw in some issues. Economic and social disruption as well as human rights issues.

All countries must strike a fine balance between protecting health, minimizing economic & social disruption & respecting human rights.

It is not ideal to hear pandemic. But panic is not where we should be now. As WHO said, it changes nothing, really, for now. The threat remains the same and the disease has not changed. So, all the precautions and stuff you have been taking, do that.

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