[D66] WHO warns again of Covid-19 pandemic as Italy imposes nationwide lockdown

[A.OUT]

wsws.org:

WHO warns again of Covid-19 pandemic as Italy imposes nationwide lockdown
By Benjamin Mateus
10 March 2020

In what is a rapidly evolving health crisis in Italy, Prime Minister 
Giuseppe Conte announced that the whole country would be placed on 
lockdown effective Tuesday, March 10. People would be allowed to travel 
for work or family emergencies, but sporting events and large gatherings 
would be prohibited. Police and the military will enforce the bans. 
Alarmingly, the number of cases has increased to 9,172, with the death 
toll now standing at 463. Within a 24-hour period, 97 people have died. 
Though the northern Lombardy region has been hit the hardest, all 20 
Italian provinces now have cases.

Italy is now considered the worst-hit country after China, but all 
indications are that the epidemic is growing exponentially 
internationally. Global deaths have already surpassed 4,000, while more 
than 114,000 people have been infected. France, Spain, and Germany have 
confirmed more than 1,000 cases. Germany recently reported its first 
fatality. The United States has added 83 new cases, with 624 people 
infected in at least 34 states. Presently, 26 people have died. Those at 
highest risk of hospitalization and death are people over 60 with 
existing medical conditions.

At yesterday’s press briefing in Geneva, World Health Organization 
Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that the 
world has come close to losing effective control over the spread of the 
virus. However, he also voiced a note of optimism that its spread could 
still be stemmed. “The bottom line is that we are not at the mercy of 
the virus,” he stated. “The decision that we all make as governments, 
businesses, communities, families, and individuals can influence the 
trajectory of this outbreak globally.”

Highlighting their evaluation of China’s response to the outbreak over 
the last eight weeks, WHO reaffirmed its belief that the epidemic could 
still be contained if all countries implemented a comprehensive and 
blended strategy of containment and treatment. Out of 80,000 cases of 
Covid-19 in China, 58,600 people, or 70 percent, have recovered and been 
discharged.

The existing definition of recovery from Covid-19 has been established 
as two polymerase chain reaction (PCR)—a medical research process which 
allows scientists to amplify a very small sample of DNA in order to 
study it in detail—confirmed negative tests in 24 hours. In China, they 
are also utilizing clear lungs on a CT scan as a definitive clinical 
criterion. It is worth noting that under the heading of mild to moderate 
symptoms (expected in 80 percent of those that have become infected) 
this includes mild pneumonia and respiratory distress. Most people who 
recover may require up to six weeks to return to full health.

The WHO optimistically noted the fact that 93 percent of all cases have 
occurred in only four countries. Most affected countries have less than 
10 people infected. Many countries, including Singapore, have been able, 
with government engagement, to retard or halt the further spread of the 
infection within their borders. WHO cited these achievements as evidence 
that the present epidemic can still be brought under control.

WHO has divided countries into four categories: those with no cases, 
sporadic cases, clusters, or evidence of community transmission. For the 
first three categories, it has recommended focusing on finding new cases 
through extensive testing, isolating those that are infected, and 
pursuing leads on contacts diligently. For the last group, WHO stressed 
that action must be focused at community levels to manage new clusters 
of cases. Additionally, more considerable containment efforts, including 
school closures, the cancellation of mass gatherings, and other social 
distancing efforts, must be implemented. China and South Korea have 
brought the epidemic under control through extensive testing and 
containment efforts and have been able to reduce the number of new 
infections drastically.

There are no clear-cut or concrete criteria by which a pandemic can be 
defined. The essential aspect of a pandemic is that its spread can no 
longer be controlled. The seasonal influenza is such a case, where it is 
not considered possible to prevent its spread so instead methods to 
minimize its impact are taken, such as vaccine programs, public health 
advice and supportive care.

Though the ability to control Covid-19 is still within reach, WHO 
emphasized a collaborative international response was essential. It also 
noted significant concerns that many nations that manufacture protective 
material had imposed restrictions on their exports. One of the WHO’s 
primary functions is the distribution of necessary medical supplies and 
protective equipment to various countries throughout the globe. It 
warned against hoarding, price gouging, or manipulation which undermine 
the ability of healthcare workers on the ground to get access to 
personal protective equipment.

Germany has banned the export of such gear to avoid supply shortages in 
its own country. Russia, Turkey, and France have implemented such 
restrictions as well. The US has also threatened to implement such 
measures and has asked domestic manufacturers to ratchet up production.

In an emotional but sober plea to reporters at the press briefing, WHO 
Director General Tedros said, “If anything is going to hurt the world, 
it’s moral decay. And not taking the deaths of elderly and senior 
citizens as a serious issue is one of the moral decays. Any individual, 
whatever their age, any human being, matters. It pains us to see, 
actually, in some places they want to move into mitigation because the 
virus kills seniors or older people only. That’s dangerous.

“Whether it kills a young person or an older person, or a senior 
citizen, every country has an obligation to save that person. That’s why 
we are saying no white flag. We don’t give up. At the end of the day, 
it’s a human life … we can’t say we care about millions if we don’t care 
about an individual person. For all countries, a comprehensive approach, 
a blended approach, an approach that can help contain this outbreak, is 
very important because the death rate from this outbreak is very high.”

On closing their press brief, WHO officials emphasized that a critical 
aspect of these efforts is the prevention of the spread of infection in 
healthcare facilities. Some 2,000 health care workers were infected in 
China. Most of them were exposed during the initial phase of the 
outbreak, when lack of information and protective equipment made their 
work dangerous. WHO also stressed that the sustained wearing of 
protective equipment can be psychologically stressful and contribute to 
the onset of exhaustion. Chinese health care workers had to work 
eight-hour shifts, for example, without being able to use the bathroom.

Michael Ryan, the head of WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, concluded, 
“The minimum we can give those frontline workers is the personal 
protective equipment, the training, and the management to help them 
manage their stress and fatigue. Most countries are moving to that. In 
the coming days and weeks, the real tragedy will be the moral hazard and 
dilemma health workers may face if they have Covid-19 patients in front 
of them who need help, and they don’t have the protective equipment to 
protect themselves.

“Would you like to be those healthcare workers? Would you like to be 
that doctor or nurse having to treat a patient, knowing full well that 
you are not protected? That’s an awful dilemma that no healthcare worker 
in the world should have to face. And that is the massive responsibility 
of governments at the national level and at an international level and 
to have the solidarity to fix that.”