The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said that an average of 80000 coronavirus cases has been reported each day in April.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the number of coronavirus cases has been increasing in Southeast Asian countries in addition to Eastern Europe, Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and America.
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He also said that the number of coronavirus cases in Western Europe has been declining.
“More than 3.5 million cases of COVID-19 and almost 250,000 deaths have now been reported to WHO,” said Ghebreyesus.
“But these are not just numbers – every single case is a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a brother, sister or friend,” he added.
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He also said that the pandemic has caused severe disruption to essential health services including to community-based health care.
“Although professional health workers like doctors and nurses play crucial roles, in many countries trained members of the community play a vital role in delivering essential health services like vaccination, prenatal screening, and the detection, prevention and management of many diseases,” he added.
Ghebreyesus also recommended the six criteria that WHO recommends every country should follow to curb the coronavirus outbreak.
“First, that surveillance is strong, cases are declining and transmission is controlled,” he added.
Secondly, health system capacities should be in place to detect, isolate, test and treat every case and trace every contact, he added.
The coronavirus outbreak risks should be minimized in special settings like health facilities and nursing homes.
Preventive measures should be in place in workplaces, schools and other places where it’s essential for people to go.
“Fifth, that importation risks can be managed. And sixth, those communities are fully educated, engaged and empowered to adjust to the new norm,” he added.