WHO chief warns politicians not to 'fuel' COVID-19 pandemic

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, has called on countries to come together to fight COVID-19. /Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, has launched an impassioned appeal for nations around the world to come together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic instead of scoring political points with the outbreak.

"The cracks between people and parties is fueling it," said Ghebreyesus at a news conference at the WHO headquarters in Geneva. "It's like playing with fire. It's the political problem that may fuel further this pandemic."

"We have been warning from day one that this is a devil that everyone should fight," he added. "We need global solidarity."

Ghebreyesus - whose handling of the pandemic has been criticized by U.S. President Donald Trump who suspended funding last week - emphasized that no information had been "hidden" from any member state in regards to the coronavirus pandemic.

The WHO said that since 1 January 15 staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US national health protection agency, had been working with the organisation on its COVID-19 response.

He said: "Having CDC staff means nothing is hidden from the U.S. From day one. It's open, we don't hide anything. We want all countries to get the same message immediately."

Ghebreyesus added that the WHO has placed orders for 30 million diagnostic tests over the next four months and was shipping nearly 180 million surgical masks in April and May.

More than 600 hospitals were now ready to enrol patients in WHO's so-called Solidarity Trial of drugs against the disease, he added.

Source(s): Reuters