03/03/2020

Ninth U.S. Death is Confirmed as WHO Rejects Pandemic

It's time to shift away from the idea that it can be contained

As the U.S. confirmed its ninth coronavirus death Tuesday, World Health Organization (WHO) officials defended their controversial decision not to declare a pandemic, citing nations such as Brazil that have few or no confirmed cases.

Michael Ryan, a physician who heads the agency's emergencies program, also said at a news conference that containment efforts such as contact tracing can't be eased at the expense of mitigation – mass treatment.

 "One of the dangers of using the pandemic word is that you would want containment to continue," Ryan said. But he also said that "I would urge all our member states to be ready for very serious, sustained community transmission."

Please select this link to read the complete article from USA Today.