Bill Chappell
NPRWed, 11 Mar 2020 16:38 UTC
© Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty ImagesWorld Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gestures during a press briefing on evolution of new coronavirus epidemic on January 29, 2020 in Geneva.
The COVID-19 viral disease that has swept into at least 114 countries and killed more than 4,000 people is now officially a pandemic, the World Health Organization announced Wednesday.
"This is the first pandemic caused by coronavirus," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Eight countries — including the U.S. — are now each reporting more than 1,000 cases of COVID-19, caused by the virus that has infected more than 120,000 people worldwide.
A severe outbreak in Italy has now caused more than 630 deaths there, and the country's case total continues to rise sharply. It's now at 10,000 cases,
second only to China. There are 9,000 cases in Iran, and more than 7,700 in South Korea.
Those countries are all imposing drastic measures in an attempt to slow the spread of the COVID-19 illness, which has a higher fatality rate for elderly people and those with underlying health conditions.
"In the Americas, Honduras, Jamaica and Panama are all confirming coronavirus infections for the first time," NPR's Jason Beaubien reports. "Elsewhere Mongolia and Cyprus are also now reporting cases."
The WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a
global health emergency in January, as cases surged in China, the epicenter of the outbreak.
As the outbreak has ballooned, so has speculation that the organization would raise its warnings about the virus to the highest level. But Tedros said WHO experts had determined that the scale of the coronavirus's impact didn't warrant the description. And he noted that declaring the outbreak a pandemic would raise the risk of a public panic.
Tedros and others had hoped the virus would be contained, citing data from China showing that the number of new cases there peaked in late January and early February.
Comment: "Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death," the director-general
said. Judging by the way people are behaving worldwide, it's safe to say that the word can and will case unreasonable fear. But in the words of that most helpful of books, the
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,
don't panic. And if you simply can't
not panic, at least keep your head on straight and do so responsibly.
Meanwhile in Iran, 63 new deaths have been
recorded, including
five members of the IRGC. In Palestine, with its first case outside of Bethlehem (brining the total to 29), the PA is considering
shutting the border. Schools, universities, banks, hotels, restaurants all remain closed. The PA has
arrested some locals for spreading false information about the virus, including false reports about cases in cities with no confirmed cases. A similar
false report in India about the virus being transmitted through white meat led one poultry farmer to destroy nearly $800k worth of chickens and eggs:
Though unfounded, the rumor has spread like wildfire on messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, prompting many to drop chicken and eggs from their daily diet, while sending poultry sales plummeting by up to 80 percent across India, the third-largest producer of eggs and fourth-largest of chickens in the world.
Moscow has
banned large-scale events, and Kiev plans to
close schools and universities. Italy has
suspended mortgage payments after the entire country was placed on lockdown yesterday.
Here's how Italians are
shopping to stock up during the lockdown:
UK Health Minister Nadine Dorries tested
positive days after meeting with PM Johnson. Merkel put on her precognition hat to
predict that up to 70% of Germans will contract the virus if no vaccine is developed. Norway
cancelled NATO's Arctic Cold Response exercises. And the CFR
cancelled their coronavirus-themed conference in NYC - how fitting! Also in NY, the state has
deployed the National Guard to set up a containment area. Nancy Pelosi
shut down Nadler's request to flee DC (several lawmakers have already self-quarantined after coming in contact with individuals with the virus). Meanwhile the Trump administration is
considering a payroll tax holiday, promising to support businesses in covering paid time off for employees on sick-leave, as well as a promise that insurers will cover all coronavirus costs.
Panic is a strong force, you could even say it's elemental. So, to repeat, your mind is your own. Don't let something else run it for you.
See also:
Comment: "Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death," the director-general said. Judging by the way people are behaving worldwide, it's safe to say that the word can and will case unreasonable fear. But in the words of that most helpful of books, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, don't panic. And if you simply can't not panic, at least keep your head on straight and do so responsibly.
Meanwhile in Iran, 63 new deaths have been recorded, including five members of the IRGC. In Palestine, with its first case outside of Bethlehem (brining the total to 29), the PA is considering shutting the border. Schools, universities, banks, hotels, restaurants all remain closed. The PA has arrested some locals for spreading false information about the virus, including false reports about cases in cities with no confirmed cases. A similar false report in India about the virus being transmitted through white meat led one poultry farmer to destroy nearly $800k worth of chickens and eggs: Moscow has banned large-scale events, and Kiev plans to close schools and universities. Italy has suspended mortgage payments after the entire country was placed on lockdown yesterday.
Here's how Italians are shopping to stock up during the lockdown:
UK Health Minister Nadine Dorries tested positive days after meeting with PM Johnson. Merkel put on her precognition hat to predict that up to 70% of Germans will contract the virus if no vaccine is developed. Norway cancelled NATO's Arctic Cold Response exercises. And the CFR cancelled their coronavirus-themed conference in NYC - how fitting! Also in NY, the state has deployed the National Guard to set up a containment area. Nancy Pelosi shut down Nadler's request to flee DC (several lawmakers have already self-quarantined after coming in contact with individuals with the virus). Meanwhile the Trump administration is considering a payroll tax holiday, promising to support businesses in covering paid time off for employees on sick-leave, as well as a promise that insurers will cover all coronavirus costs.
Panic is a strong force, you could even say it's elemental. So, to repeat, your mind is your own. Don't let something else run it for you.
See also: