WHO warns against lifting coronavirus restrictions too early

GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) warned countries to be cautious about lifting restrictions introduced to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus as worldwide death toll tops 100,000.  

Addressing a press conference, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the global body would like to see an easing, but at the same time lifting restrictions too early could lead to a deadly resurgence.

The WHO Director-General said that there had been a ‘welcome slowing’ of epidemics in some European countries, but there had been an ‘alarming acceleration’ elsewhere, including community transmission in 16 countries of Africa.

Commenting on the health workers, Tedros Adhanom said that he was particularly concerned by the large number of infections reported among health workers.

He further said, “In some countries, reports of up to 10 percent of health workers being infected, this is an alarming trend.”

Tedros Adhanom said that the world should learn about their gaps from the coronavirus pandemic, adding that this was a message even for developed countries.

His comments came after the number of confirmed deaths associated with COVID-19 stood at 100,376. However, some health experts fear that the actual toll is even higher.