Translated material
WHO: It is too early to declare the pneumonia outbreak in China a public health emergency of international concern
The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided that it is premature to declare the outbreak of pneumonia in China caused by a new type of coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern , WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
"This is an emergency for China, but it is not yet a global emergency," Tedros said. He noted that WHO currently knows of 584 cases and 17 deaths. Of those, 575 cases and all deaths occurred in China.
Tedros noted that the new type of virus caused severe illness in a quarter of those infected; most of those who died had hypertension, diabetes or cardiovascular disease that weakened their immune systems. The WHO chief also noted that there were no cases of human-to-human transmission outside China.
"There is still much we do not know. We do not know the source of this virus, we do not understand how easily it spreads, we do not fully understand its clinical features or severity," the head of the WHO said. At the same time, he emphasized that the organization does not yet recommend introducing new restrictions on movement and trade.
"The fact that I have not declared the virus an emergency of international concern today should not be taken as a sign that WHO does not consider the situation serious, or that we do not take it seriously. WHO is monitoring this [new coronavirus outbreak] every minute of every day at national, regional and global levels," said Director Tedros.