In the past few days, the coronavirus crisis has worsened significantly with over thirteen million confirmed cases around the world and an increasing death toll. In comparison with six months ago, when the pandemic started, the situation has not improved as much as most countries had assumed.
Recently, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated the pandemic is likely to grow out of control since most of the countries are not following the advice given by health professionals.
During a virtual briefing on the coronavirus from the UN headquarters in Geneva, Tedros specifically said that “Let me be blunt, too many countries are headed in the wrong direction.
“If basics are not followed, the only way this pandemic is going to go — it is going to get worse and worse and worse.” He added.
In addition, the briefing also highlighted that nearly eighty percent of the newly reported cases in the past three weeks was only from ten countries. Out of the eighty percent, fifty percent were diagnosed in Brazil and the United States.
Although many pharma companies and researchers are collaborating in developing a coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible, Tedros emphasized the high possibility of no imminent improvements in the comings months or even a year.
In the early days of the pandemic, the WHO’s strategies and policies for the coronavirus crisis were criticized by the president of the US, Donald Trump.
According to Trump, the health agency not only favored China, where the coronavirus originally began but was slow in taking action for the pandemic which is the reason why it spread quickly and is now present in nearly all countries of the world.
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Secondly, Trump had also allegedly accused China of spreading the virus while saying that the government has ‘compelling evidence’ to back up the claim.
In response, the WHO had asked to show evidence which further deepened the rift between the Trump administration and the health agency and leading to Trump announcing that the US will be quitting the organization.
However, in the briefing, the health agency confirmed that it has not received any formal letter or acknowledgment of the US leaving the organization yet.
With the worsening conditions of the pandemic in the US, the WHO is not sure whether the US government under Trump will proceed with the pullout.
President Trump, who was reportedly wearing a mask for the first time in the past week, is now being criticized for lack of quick action for the coronavirus crisis by a rising number of government officials, health professionals, and even the general public.
Currently, the US has the highest number of cases amongst all other countries and has also set record-highs for new cases every single day of the past two weeks.
Although the country is the worst-hit by coronavirus crisis, the Trump administration has continued to lift lockdowns on states and is also looking forward to easing restrictions further by reopening educational institutes including schools and colleges from the coming month.
