Coronavirus ten times deadlier than 2009 H1N1 flu and control measures must be lifted slowly, says WHO chief
The new coronavirus spreads fast, and it has proven to be 10 times deadlier than the 2009 flu pandemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
“We can only say what we know, and we can only act on what we know. Evidence from several countries is giving us a clearer picture of this virus, how it behaves, how to stop it and how to treat it. We know that COVID-19 is deadly — 10 times deadlier than the 2009 flu pandemic,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, during a briefing.
“We know that the virus can spread more easily in crowded environments like nursing homes. We know that early case-finding, testing, isolating, and caring for every case and tracing every contact is essential for stopping transmission,” he added.
Over 119,680 have died due to the COVID-19 pandemic as of April 14, and more than 1,920,985 cases have been reported globally, shows the Johns Hopkins tracker.
In the spring of 2009, a novel influenza A (H1N1) virus emerged. It was detected first in the US and spread quickly across the country and the world. According to a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were an estimated 60.8 million cases, 274,304 hospitalizations, and 12,469 deaths in the US from the flu pandemic. The CDC also estimates that 151,700-575,400 people died from the H1N1 virus globally during the first year the virus circulated.
According to Dr Ghebreyesus, in some countries, cases are doubling every 3 to 4 days. However, while COVID-19 accelerates very fast, it decelerates much more slowly, which implies that “the way down is much slower than the way up,” he explained.
The WHO chief said that some countries and communities have now experienced several weeks of social and economic restrictions, some are considering when they can lift these restrictions; while others are considering whether and when to introduce them. In both cases, these decisions must be based first and foremost on protecting human health, and guided by what is currently known about the virus and how it behaves, he said.
“While some countries are considering how to ease restrictions, others are considering whether to introduce them — especially many low-and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In countries with large poor populations, the stay-at-home orders and other restrictions used in some high-income countries may not be practical. Many poor people, migrants, and refugees are already living in overcrowded conditions with few resources and little access to health care,” said Dr Ghebreyesus.
The WHO said that countries that have implemented stay-at-home measures, must ensure that they are not at the expense of human rights. “Each government must assess their situation, while protecting all their citizens, and especially the most vulnerable,” said Dr Ghebreyesus.
Dr Ghebreyesus also cautioned that control measures must be lifted slowly, not all at once. He stressed that control measures can be lifted only if the right public health measures are in place, which includes significant capacity for contact tracing. He emphasized that physical distancing restrictions are only part of the equation, and there are many other basic public health measures that countries need to be put in place.
The WHO chief also warned that global connectedness implies that the risk of re-introduction and resurgence of the disease will continue. “Ultimately, the development and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully interrupt transmission,” said Dr Ghebreyesus.