WHO warns of ‘accelerating’ pandemic, expects Olympics decision soon

Derrick Santistevan

The pandemic of the disease brought on by the coronavirus is speeding up, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated on Monday, with more than 300,000 cases now recorded and infections reported from almost every nation worldwide.

While it took 67 days from the first reported case to reach the first 100,000 cases of COVID-19, it took just 11 days for the second 100,000 cases, and simply four days for the third 100,000 cases, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated.

“But we are not prisoners to statistics. We’re not helpless bystanders. We can change the trajectory of this pandemic,” Tedros informed an online briefing for more than 300 reporters.

He called for global political dedication to alter the trajectory of the pandemic, advising countries to take both defensive and assaulting steps.

“Asking people to stay at home and other social distancing measures are an important way of slowing down the spread of the virus and buying time, but they are defensive measures,” he stated.

“To win, we need to attack the virus with aggressive and targeted tactics – testing every suspect case, isolating and caring for every confirmed case and tracing and quarantining every close contact.”

Inquired About the 2020 Olympics due to be kept in Tokyo, Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s emergency situations program, stated the WHO was feeding into considerations by the International Olympic Committee, the Japanese federal government, and the Tokyo 2020 Committee.

Australia and Canada have actually currently stated they are withdrawing from the 2020 Games, and organizers are dealing with increasing pressure to delay the first time in their 124- year contemporary history.

“I believe a decision will be made very soon,” Ryan stated.

He stated any decision to hold off the Games would be made by Japan and the IOC, including: “We have every confidence that the Japanese government and the IOC will not proceed with any Games should they be dangerous to athletes or spectators.”

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