Coronavirus outbreak: WHO warns that the world on the verge of reaching 100,000 cases | FULL

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are there questions?
So please let's start to respect that doctor.
Tell us, please.
Thank you.
Thank you, Thank you and good afternoon and thank you once again for joining us in person in online.
And I would like to start by acknowledging International Women's Day this Sunday.
This is a moment to remember that around the world many women cannot access.
Essential service is and continue to suffer disproportionately from preventable and treatable diseases.
But International Women's Day is an opportunity not only to promote and protect the held off women but to highlight the vital role they play in promoting and protecting the Hell's off.
All people globally woman make up 70% off the global health workforce.
But hold on Lee, 25% off senior roles.
W Joe is committed to promoting gender equality everywhere and especially in the hell's Workforce.
We're proud that we have achieved gender equality in our senior leadership team on W.
H O headquarters, although we know we still have to work to do in other parts off the organization.
Women are also playing a vital role in the in the respect response to Corbett 19 and we're proud to have many amazing women leading our response in W h o, including Maria a syllabi.
So Mia, Ana Maria, somebody Angela, Mary Pierre, Adrianna, God be Nika and many others.
In the past 24 hours, 2736 cases off coded 19 were reported from 47 countries and territories.
There is now a total off 98,023 reported cases off Corbett 19 globally on 6 3380 does.
We're now on the verge off reaching 100,000 confirmed cases.
As cases increase, we're continuing to recommend that all countries make containment their highest priority.
We continue to call on countries to find, test, isolate and care for every case, and to trace every contact slowing down the epidemic saves lives and buys time for preparedness and for research and development.
Every day we can slow.
The epitome is the epidemic is another day.
Hospitals can prepare themselves for cases.
Every day we slow down.
The epidemic is another day.
Governments can prepare their health workers to detect test treats and care for patients.
Every day we slow down.
The epidemic is another day closer toe having vaccines and therapeutics which can intend prevent infections and save lives.
As you know, last month's W.
Joe convinced a meeting off.
More than 400 scientists toe identify research priorities.
Hundreds of ideas were discussed and debated, and today we're publishing on RND Roadmap, which distills those ideas into a core group of priorities in nine key areas.
This includes the natural history off the virus, epidemiology, vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, clinical management, ethical considerations, social sciences and more.
The RND Roadmap focuses on research that can save lives now, as well as longer term research priorities for vaccines and therapeutics.
It's vital to coordinate research so that different groups around the world complement each other, so W h O can give better advice and countries can take evidence based decisions that save lives.
That's why W.
H.
O has developed a set off core protocols that outlined standards of how studies should be done and to collect critical data so we can compare apples with apples and pull data from multiple studies.
France in South Africa have already indicated they will use these protocols for clinical trials, and we encourage other countries to do the same.
We're also developing research protocols to assess interventions for this enfranchised communities such as refugees and internally displaced persons.
We're very encouraged by the level off interests around the world in accelerating research as part off the response.
So far, W.
H O has received applications for review and approval off 40 diagnostic tests.
20 vaccines are in development and many clinical trials off therapeutics are underway.
Even as we test therapeutics, we need to ensure that supplies off those medicines that available should they prove effective, W.
H O has been monitoring the potential risk off.
A disruption to medicine.
Supplies are the result off the Corbett 19 epidemic.
China, as you know, is a major producer off active pharmaceutical ingredients and the intermediate products that are used to produce medicines in other countries.
W H O has focused on the most essential medicines that are critical for primary healthcare and emergencies, including antibiotics, painkillers and treatments for rabbits, hypertension, HIV cheaper closest and malaria.
W.
H A is working closely with industry associations, regulators and other partners to monitor this risk, and so far we have not identified any imminent specific shortages.
Many months.
Manufacturers either have alternative sources of ingredients or hard stocks to draw on Manufacturing has now resumed in most places in China, although some challenges remain.
Separately, W H O has developed a list off more than 20 essential medical devices that countries need to manage patients, including ventilators and oxygen supply systems.
Access to medical oxygen could be the difference between life and death for some patients, but there is already a shortage in many countries, which could be exacerbated by this epidemic.
W H O has an existing working group with the Gates Foundation, the Clinton held Access initiative and path, and we're building on that partnership to increase access to oxygen.
We encourage every country to rev e W Jitters diseases commodity package for covered 19 to ensure it has the supplies it needs, including protective equipment and medical devices.
All off this requires the involvement off the private sector to ensure countries can access lifesaving products.
You have heard me talk about the market failure for personal protective equipment.
You heard me talk about the need for a whole off government approach, and you have heard me talk about what individuals can do to protect themselves and others.
We look forward to businesses to step up and play their part.
We need you.
W H O.
Is working with the World Economic Forum to engage companies around the world.
And earlier this week I spoke to more than 200 c ose about how they can protect their stuff and customers, ensure business continuity and contribute to the response.
As I keep saying, we're all in this together and we will we all have a role to play facts, not fear reasons, not rumors, solidarity, not stigma.
I thank you.
Thank you very much.
Look, detectors for these opening remarks.
We will start with the questions here from room will have started a chance idea.
And then we have a question here.
Yes, we don't use the microphone.
If you can just switch it off on talk a little louder from your agency.
Put your trust in me.
Mandy.
Full apologize Chinese for the brief.
So what's the common rewards?
I'm not aware of the comment, but I think we've said numerous times in previous come conferences that diseases can emerge anywhere on the planet and have proven to do so.
Ebola emerges very often in Africa.
The last pandemic emerged in North America of H one n one Andi Corona virus has in this case, emerged in China.
So I think the issue now is a DJ has just said way.
Avoid blame culture.
And can we move on to do the things we need to do to save lives?
Mary, please.
And then we'll go to one.
Shows a few roles.
Spokesperson, helpless today, said more than 20.
How do you assess the way he break his manager?
We have, um, it's very important in epidemic response to I understand your problem because without understanding your problem, it's very difficult to fix it.
So we've seen this.
China's numbers went up very, very quickly because they started to look for cases.
The same happened in Korea when Korea started to do active surveillance on.
Then you can turn the corner.
So I think we need to look at these data in terms of guests, natural epidemiology, but also, I think, because the Iranian system is switching on, we're seeing a much more all of government approach.
As the DJ called for yesterday, there's a national action plan now.
There's 100,000 workers committed to this plan on dhe.
We are going to see any country in the face of an epidemic when it looks for cases, will find them.
Um, on.
If we call that a bad thing, it is.
It's It's a sad thing for the people who have the disease, but it's much better that we understand the extent of the problem.
So we commend to move towards more aggressive target of surveillance on.
We hope that that will lead to the kind of control measures that can help push this virus back much.
One question here.
Then we will move on line.
One question, please.
Hi, my name is from the Japanese Gabriel I'd like to ask about from Japan and Korea.
It's trouble.
Recent research efficient and so patients have been implementing trouble policies against each other and on in Japan.
Part of the Korean measures are taking retirement for it.
So can you tell us about two bucks?
What extent travel restrictions are meaningful and you have any concerns and concerns our country, so country that's escalating against each other?
Uh huh.
The thing we've been pretty clear on the issue of travel restrictions for a very long time, they should be very carefully considered.
They should be public health evidence driven.
They should be of short duration, and they should never be carried out in the absence of a comprehensive set of measures to contain or control the disease.
There is a long history, unfortunately of countries, sometimes with tit for tat travel restrictions that has happened in the past since the advent of the idea.
In fact, we've seen a huge improvement in that and in transparency between countries because we challenge countries who put in place travel restrictions and we challenge them to provide the public of evidence.
Um, I think again, I think Japan and Korea are both doing a fine job in the face of this epidemic.
They've bought scaled up their public health operations.
They're saving lives.
And I think we should focus on that on not necessarily on a political spat over travel restrictions.
It's very, very important that people understand that these types of restrictions are not helping Andi in that sense.
Toe overemphasized, um, is to hurt the response.
But we do commend both governments from making significant progress in fighting this disease.
If I could just say something to the contrary to that in the sense that what we are seeing in what the stories need to be focusing on is how countries air helping each other, and we see a lot of examples of this.
You know, the DJ mentioned this research meeting that took place on the 11th and 12th.
We've been talking since the beginning of scientists communicating with each other's clinicians, talking to each other on the phone sharing experiences.
When the world didn't have experience with Covert 19 we had murdered scientists teaching each other about what they did to help patients with MERS patients with stars on.
I think there's a lot of very positive stories here where countries air, helping each other.
We have a Chinese delegation in Iran.
Right now, we have people participating in sharing, and I think I think that there's a lot of lessons to be learned in that this is not the first outbreak where this has happened before.
W.
H.
O.
Brings together, um, scientists all over the world, public health professionals, women on the front lines on, I think I think those are stories that also need to make the headlines as well on.
Mei would like to add to that in a globalized world.
The only option is to stand together on DDE.
You know all countries.
You should really make sure that we stand together.
And in addition to that, as you know, Corbett, 19 is a common enemy on DDE.
The only way we can beat this virus is when we stand together and that's that has been the message from the village all along.
And it is and it will be so.
We call on all countries to stand in unison because it's the United Force that can help us to be despite us as soon as possible.
Thank you very much.
We will now go Thio some off journalists who are online on I will remind everyone it's a star nine.
If you're dialing in and clicking race and if you are on Zoom, we will start with the Romania.
We have address the Adrianne.
Can you hear us?
Can you hear us?
Hello from TV Rumania.
So speaking about Europe, from your estimation, do you think that during the summer the spreader for liking will decrease?
And another thing I want to know the World Health Organization experienced send the country if a person's because we have some problems here.
Romania and not at Catania.
You set when you consider a person's perspective the building infected the Koran abuse are the standard procedures Way lost you in the middle.
Can you please repeat the question?
Sorry for that.
Speaking about euro from your estimation, Do you think that during the summer the spread of Corbett 19 will decrease?
And another thing I want to know if World Health Organization expects sent all the countries some procedures how to taste a person.
And what are the criteria you said when you consider a person suspected being infected with Corona beers?
Thank you.
I think Maria convicted question on seasonality.
I think our regional director We've had multiple multiple meetings with the European countries across our whole region, plus at the European Union level with the European Center for Disease Control.
Our regional director has been again in meetings today with European health ministers coordinating actions between countries on DDE, we do not know yes what the activity or the behavior of this virus will be in different climatic conditions.
We have to assume that the virus will continue to have the capacity to spread on.
It's a false hope to say yes, it will just disappear in the summer time, like influenza virus.
We hope it does.
I would.
That would be a godsend, but we can't make that assumption on.
There is no evidence right now to suggest that that will happen.
So we need to fight the virus now, not believe in hope that the virus may disappear on its own.
On the issue of definition, there are very specific case definitions that have been released.
An updated on a regular basis by W.
H.
O Maria may want to go into the detail on the criteria.
So we do publish surveillance guidance on our website, as we do with all of our technical guidance, and we are constantly looking at the evolving situation toe update.
Those are case definitions are focusing on people of interest who who should be tested.
And it's a combination of a combination of factors that has to do with where a person is, where they're living, where they have traveled, that has to do with if they have some things are not on what level of symptoms that they have.
So our latest guidance is on the W.
H O website Um and there's a very detailed description of who should be tested again to be clear when there is a high index of suspicion from a clinician that the clinical syndrome is consistent.
The clinician is in a position to request a test.
The test is not restrictive.
Criteria are not restrictive.
Way have to be careful with is that if every single person with a sniffle is to be tested, then we will run out of the capacity to test.
So there are major criteria.
But that final decision is very in which left in the hand of the attending physician based on their instinctive or clinical judgment.
On if there are symptoms highly consistent with the corps with infection, that physician may may request that test that is at least a B.
He chose a place and context.
So that's the other one is not just in that index of suspicion, but also if you have a confirmed case and you're looking at the context of those cases, they need to be tested as well much.
The next question came through a true message because there was Steve from Uganda from M B S T V in Uganda is asking what measures have been put in place to contain the virus in Uganda.
He says.
Uganda being a poor country e think Uganda has proven its capacities.
Over the last year and 1/2 Uganda has invested heavily in its preparedness for Ebola.
Ah nde imported.
Unfortunately, Ebola twice from Congo on dhe contained that disease without any further cases.
Uganda has a lot of capacity and history and dealing with severe emerging disease that spread from person to person on require the isolation of cases on the follow up of context.
And as the director general has been saying for years now this is about preparedness.
You prepare for one disease, you prepare for all diseases.
Preparing for Ebola gives you capacities against Corbett.
Preparing for flu gives you capacities against other the Caesars on what we hope is that these investments that are being made by countries like Uganda on that we want to make under under the new emergency preparedness division here at W h O.
It's really important that we focus on the other countries.
Uganda's a strong system, but we are concerned that there are countries who have much weaker surveillance, much weaker health systems on.
We need to continue to support all countries and getting ready.
The DJ may have a comment on the but thank you so much that this was answered.
The question from Steve from Uganda and B s t v.
If Chris is fine, we can go to one more question or two more questions from online.
Elaine Fletcher from Health Policy.
Which undercover?
From down to Earth?
India.
Benji, Can you hear it?
Yes, I can hear you.
Can you hear me?
Go ahead.
My question is toe, Dr Maria Marie.
We had only five cases 23 days ago.
But now we are You know, you could be one cases, but the testing criteria in our country is never suspected.
Cases are the ones who have any contact with the confirmed cases.
Do you recommend that as Michael saying that we should know expand our idea and a clinician if he finds that it is necessary?
We allowed to recommend the best and investigation.
There's thank you for the question.
So we put out recommendations of what we feel is most appropriate for testing.
Um, and it is important that that country's look at thes and they make an assessment of what is best for their country.
Our guidance is out there to be aggressive at finding all cases among people of suspicion and ensuring that the contacts of those cases are also tested so that we could prevent onward.
Transmission.
Decisions need to be made based on capacity based on many different factors, but it really is important, especially early on.
As you said, you have some cases in your country.
It's very important that there's an aggressive approach in the beginning that you look for all of those cases because as case numbers increase, systems become overwhelmed on DSO as much as can be done in the early stages of this, the better chance you have to delay and to reduce and suppressed transmission.
You're a vegetable now, Goto L.
A.
And Fletcher from Health Policy, which Elaine, please go ahead and sorry.
Thank you.
Hi.
Thanks for taking my question.
The the World Bank announced recently that will put its spring meeting on a virtual format, and that move was applauded in many quarters as something that would also save carbon emissions and travel costs, which are significant for global organizations and many private companies, meanwhile, have also begun to encourage teleworking as a preemptive move to ridge produce infection risk.
What's your message on these topics?
And is Debra Jo making contingency plans for a virtual world health assembly?
Yeah, leave the DJ to comment on the World Health Assembly thing.
I think we we advise a risk management approach to all of these different gatherings of meetings and on, I think, you know, we are entering a new era on this planet in terms of r R R R movement on how we engage in how we interact with each other.
And it's wonderful to see that we have alternatives now to necessarily having to meet face to face all the time.
Andi, If there is a benefit to the planets, then that is great.
But we would obviously rather not have Colvin, 19 and the fear and the disruption that it's causing.
But we have to.
Life has to go on.
Our economies are society's.
Our communities have to continue to work, to live, to educate.
But I think we also need to innovate, and it's wonderful to see the innovation in education, the innovations and communications Thean ovations in our capacity to continue doing the things we do, but maybe using alternative ways of achieving the same ends.
And if there are benefits to our planet for that and to our society in general, that's great.
But I think we'd like to get rid of court with 19 too.
Yeah, maybe toe to that.
Um, you know, I know we will have discovered 19 behind us, and virtual meetings should actually be considered not because of Corbett now, but when there is no covet way have to challenge, you know, all our meetings, whether we really need to meet in person s.
So that's our advice.
But in the middle of the coveted 19 Now, as my ex aide, we have to do the assessment risk assessment and make our decisions based based on that.
But the virtual meetings teleworking should actually be an issue even when we don't have coveted around.
Ah, As you said one, I did advantages minimizing the carbon footprint.
But there will be other advantages too.
Go back to the assembly on assembly way.
We still have time, so we will assess the situation.
It's what we say.
Based on the risk we will we will decide.
We will let you know.
Thank you very much.
We will go back here, but we will take one or two from the room because we want to go back to online.
You really remember yesterday we had issues and we didn't take questions from our colleagues?
Uh, yes.
Please Shoko and then Jamie.
And then it'll go back online.
I should mention that the number of cases is now reaching 100 extradition No.
I say that yesterday that the it's geographically expanding and it's deeply concerned.
Um, but at the same time, the most concerning is out of the 88 countries.
We're saying more countries affected from the low income with weaker health systems, and that's the most concerning.
And we're working with all countries to Taylor.
The response they should they should take based on that situation, and our focus will be to support countries with weaker hell's systems.
There was a question from Uganda earlier.
I fully agree with what our general said on Uganda.
Its preparedness level has increased significantly, especially after Ebola in in the RC, and we have seen how it's it was it has been responding.
Um But still, we will continue to support, especially the countries with three cartel systems to help them to better respond.
That will be our focus.
And that's why we had a meeting with all a You ministers a couple of weeks ago to discuss about Continental strategy for preparedness and also national strategy for preparedness.
Short question hygiene is suppressed.
I'd like to go back to behavioral things that people can do, because I think there's still a lot of confusion out there about people.
Um, you mentioned, you know, meeting.
But in terms of their households, I mean other things that the condition being buying bleed should be wiped, their faces touching their faces with Kleenexes and what kind of things people do to make themselves more annotated by greater sanitation to be ableto well, I'll start with this, and you may want to supplement.
So there are.
It's very important that everyone knows that there are many things that they can do to protect themselves and to protect their families against cove it 19 and to protect against any infectious threats, the verses washing your hands.
You've heard us say this many times, and it's it's absolutely critical that people wash their hands and there's a process for doing so.
Um, and using soap and water and you're using an alcohol rub.
That's the first thing.
The second thing is respiratory etiquette.
Um, we see many people not practicing respiratory etiquette, and this is really important.
This is very simple.
You and your family and everyone you know can do this.
It's sneezing into your elbow.
It's sneezing into a tissue and throwing this into a closer bin and then washing your hands, making sure that you are well informed.
Um, you all know this very well in this room, but this situation is evolving quickly.
Um, we're learning new information every single day, and we're trying to communicate that information to you as quickly as possible, making sure that the information is accurate.
There's a lot of false information out out there.
There's a lot of myths that are out there that are not only confusing but sometimes could be damaging, so that's important.
You can get your family's ready, you can talk to your Children.
You can talk to your parents.
Um, you can talk to older people if you know you're you have neighbors that don't live with other people.
Talk to them, find out.
What do they need to know?
What are their fears?
Um, as the DJ has said many times, facts not fears.
Let's address thes fears and turn this fear into some positive action.
Um, you can talk to your, um, employers.
You can talk to your government.
What are you doing to get ready?
How are we getting ready?
What's the plan?
So there's a lot of things that you can do to get yourselves ready so that you can anticipate what may come.
We've said this before that that there is no eventuality here.
We are working with governments with individuals to make sure that everything is done to drive this down to slow transmission to stop transmission.
So that is possible.
And we're seeing that in many countries.
But this it all depends on the actions that we take.
Now the situation could get worse.
The situation could get better.
We need to prepare for different, different situations.
You're next to me.
Please go ahead.
Thank you very much.
Can you doctor Terrorist A.
Could you say something about talent?
Way are here.
So if you can talk about peace and make sure that they have taken a What is your opinion on that?
What?
Just like the last time you say I have a general.
Well, first of all, we express our gratitude for government in Switzerland for their cooperation with us and all of the other U.
N.
Agencies in terms of our own business.
Continuity, planning under the things there, it's there's a big international community here in Geneva on we've been work of Ray toasting with them on how we deal with the business continuity going forward.
You can imagine we have our own concerns to to be able to continue to run our operations and w h o not only for our normal have programs, but to be able to continue running a global operation here, a global nerve center.
So we thank the Swiss authorities for their continued cooperation.
I believe this was Authorities are implementing measures that from their pre plans preparedness plans, and they're engaging great closely with other countries and trying to coordinate activity across many countries.
I think that's been the challenger.
Everyone in Europe right now is coordinating activities across all of the nations of Europe with such open borders on DDE on many having slightly different policies regarding mass gathering, slightly different criteria regarding testing.
I think that's caused a lot of people to question why there isn't one standard approach in every country, but that's impossible to achieve what we need.
Each country is making its own risk assessments based on the risks that perceives its openness.
It's exposure and its own vulnerabilities.
And we continue to say this, and what we will do is always when asked on.
Sometimes even when not asked, offer advice to countries regarding the approaches, they're taking Thio to risk management.
So I don't have any specific comments to make on the Swiss response unless there's some specific issue you concerned with because it's a good public health system responding to the issues that face is thank you very much.
Let's try to take a couple more questions from online to make up for for yesterday.
Mary Ann Bennett is from Hong Kong.
Mariana, Can Can you hear us?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Thanks for taking my call, but I You know, this afternoon, the University of uncle and their one can't counterparts release a study showing the mortality rate from Comet 19 is much lower than the W.
H O.
R.
Said off three people.
4%.
And it could be lower, but its mortality rate really important.
And what's the implication of that?
You know, I mean, what this number here Rachel's think about studying the mortality rate at this stage when we don't have, you know, there's so many unknowns.
Just a question.
Um, setting mortality is very important in any infectious disease and any disease period.
Um, and from the beginning, our biggest concerns, our biggest questions were around the transmissibility of this virus and and the severity of this virus.
Um, we we have been up here talking to you about the difficulties in calculating the mortality rate and what that actually means, especially early on in an outbreak.
And there are many studies that describe why this is very difficult.
Um, so, you know, there could be simple arithmetic, you know, in terms of what we say.
But the study that you're referring to is a modeling study, and we work very closely with the University of Hong Kong.
They're strong, collaborate.
They're collaborating.
Center a w h o collaborating center.
Um, and there are many studies that have tried to estimate what mortality would look like if we consider everyone that may be infected with this virus.
Um, you've heard us talk about SIRO surveys and making sure that there's certain population based Ciro surveys that are conducted and those air critical so that we really understand the extent of infection in the general population.
I've mentioned those studies are underway, but it will take some time to get those results.
In the meantime, we work with many different modeling groups that helped us to try to use mathematical models.
Um, estimate what population infection may look like.
And so what that study is, in fact, is a is a modeling study that's looking in making an estimate of immortality, which I think is about 1% in that study.
So we've said before that the true mortality rate we don't know at this time what we can say is how many people have died up to the States?
But we do look to our partners to to estimate mortality.
Um, if we take into consideration the estimated number of people that may be infected, the mortality rate will go down, so it will take some time before we actually get a true a true value.
But it is a very important value for us.
Um, any death is is significant.
Um, And as we've mentioned the steps that need to be taken to make sure we slow down this this virus will prove will save lives.
All of the efforts towards containment will save lives.
Maybe I could add to that.
Obviously, a lot of speculation the modeling and the attempt to understand is why so few people under 40 have been clinically unwell.
Most of the people who are really sick are between the ages of 40 and 90 on.
Therefore, when we look to calculate a case fatality, yes, we could add in a whole bunch of young people and Children who may be getting infected or not getting sick.
And that, and that's important.
In the overall case, fatality will drop.
That may not necessarily affect the experience of older people.
And remember, within this, if you look at the date from China based on the numbers reported, the actual case fatality for people in the older age group goes up with age on.
Dhe goes up significantly with the presence of underlying conditions so the actual age specific are conditioned.
Specific mortality could be much higher than those numbers, so the numbers could be higher for for individuals who are who are have underlying conditions could be higher for and an equally.
We have an assumption that Children are maybe getting infected or having mild infections I personally have experienced in the past influenza epidemics amongst Children with the lower nutrition Children in compromised refugee type settings and their mortality can be much higher.
They're much more vulnerable.
They're living in much more exposed conditions.
We've seen what normal respiratory infection could do in refugee camps on anyone who's worked in a refugee camp knows how devastating right viral disease can be in those situations.
So while we could make some assumptions on, we hope for the best that we hope.
I hope fervently that we find that there are millions of people who have bitten infected a symptomatically, and on dhe, the overall mortality is lower.
That's not something we hope for, but we have to look to those and the DJ.
Keep speaking about this.
Look to those around you who are most vulnerable.
Look to the people who are older.
Look to people with underlying conditions.
Look to our refugee populations.
Look to the undernourished.
Look to people who may have other long term infectious conditions on.
That's what we need to do in order that we put in place that necessary service is to protect and save their lives.
And that's the approach.
But we do hope over time that as we do the serology, we find that the overall fatality is lower.
Thank you very much.
Let's try to take two more questions.
We have a bus feed family.
Strong it, Zacharek Adri.
But please correct me.
Get here.
Hi.
Thank you.
Yes, it Zara here key.
And I've been seeing some mixed reporting out of China about whether people can get reinfected versus being released from hospitals prematurely.
Can you provide clarity on what is actually known at this point about the potential for re infection?
We know, um, is there's a certain destroyed discharge criteria that air that are used in China and in many countries, and in fact, our our recommendation is that an individual needs to have two negative PCR tests 24 hours apart.
Um what we what we've seen from China.
There's some case reports of individuals who will test negative and be and be clinically recovered.
But after some days may test positive again.
Um, and what we What we need to understand is in those situations in each of those situations is the individual.
Is it a matter of the way that the test was done?
And perhaps, um, the sample was how the sample was collected, the performance of the PCR test?
And if the individual just a sort of borderline positive negative or whether they were re infected, that from the evidence we have it doesn't indicate that they've been re infected.
It's likely that they've just been There's been some virus persistence.
What we need to also understand is just because people are PCR positive.
Um, if they tested negative and then test positive again, we need to understand if that's infectious.
And so we need prospective studies of individuals who have recovered over time following them after their recovery, to take repeated samples, to understand if they're still shutting and if if they are infectious, yeah, um, while agreeing with what Maria said, Even in other countries, there is one concern we have.
Hospitals have bean running very lean and mean, especially in high income countries, creating a lot off efficiency.
And when I say lean and mean, making it very close to what they need during normal times, you know the number of beds they need and so on.
And that's why we see some surprising in high income countries.
And when emergencies actually arrived, then you know, triggering or expanding that lean and mean.
The system becomes a bit difficult and time, time taking, and that may even force some countries to discharge patients early because the system is adapted to Lynn and men approach S.
O.
I think this is a question for even the long term.
Okay, running hospitals in a lean and mean fashion could be OK during regular times.
But how can we expand the capacity in few hours when the need comes?
It's not coded on Lee, by the way.
It could be earthquake or it could be tsunami.
It could be another another.
What do you call it?
Disaster, whether it's manmade or natural.
So I think we have to check that approach we have, especially in many countries running hospitals in a very lean and mean way on dhe.
I know some countries couldn't even have, you know, isolation, isolation facilities that can accommodate even 10 or 20.
And it shows how vulnerable we are.
And the discharging and so on.
Could could, you know, early could come because it could happen because of that to take Thomas from Bloomberg, who was not able to ask questions couple of days in a row.
So, Thomas, if you hear us, please go ahead.
What?
I think I've been unaided.
I'm not Thomas from Bloomberg.
It's Helen.
Brands will from stat story for the delay.
Just realized I was muted.
Um, my question is about the clinical trials in China for the therapeutics.
Are you getting any word yet about how those there turning out?
Are there any you know?
Is there any chance of data?
Soon I will turn to my colleagues to finish that.
So as you know, Helen, there are many clinical trials that are currently underway in China.
There more than 200 registered, you know, in the clinical trials list, and and we know that they're actively under way.
Um, looking at different therapeutics looking at traditional Chinese medicine and Maria, Do you wanna come and tell me more detail on that?
Thank you very much.
So just we have a very good collaboration with searches in China.
In fact, they even share with us the preliminary information as they move forward with the analysis they are planning to soon they start releasing and publishing some of the results.
I just wanted to say that they have done a great work in publications.
We have counted about 180 publications.
It rationally have bean releasing.
The information is available to the public and the other 50 publications in Chinese language that have been made available.
We're engaging with them now is in the desolation of this information in seeing what the new metal stress that were conducted mean in terms of public health and whether, you know, we need to adjust our ideas for clinical trials elsewhere.
And also, how can we learned from the implementation of destroyers?
Because there is a great expertise now in China that we would like to build upon.
So, yes, we are working with them very closely.
And they're very for comedy entrance sparring with us.
Just a supplement because there's more to be done than just China.
We have issued master protocols for clinical trials for serology studies for others and working under the leadership of Of Vanda Maria, Mary, Pierre, Rosie and our chief scientist.
Assuming we need to bring all of that data together, we need a day we're pulling together a data monitoring board, an independent board of experts who monitor and analyze that data with us because we need to ensure that all of the available information regarding clinical trials is pulled together.
So we have the best possible assessment of all of the data.
Eso we commend the researchers for all of the work they're doing independently and with us.
We commend those who are willing to work on un implementing this more standardized approach that we believe by doing that, we will get the answers more quickly on The evidence for these products will be much more solid on much more reliable on we thank all of those around the world at the research level of governments and others for that form of collaboration.
It is through this kind of innovation and sharing that we will get the answers more quickly than we would otherwise We also have to look beyond the issue off efficacy.
Having an effective drug are, we hope thes air effective.
We also have to ensure that those who most need those drugs get them, and that is not the same as drug efficacy.
We have to absolutely focus now on equity on access.
We cannot have a situation where people who need the drug don't get it on.
People who don't need the drug do.
We must find ways to ensure we can scale up production of any drugs that prove effective on.
We can ensure Dole's drugs are distributed on the basis of need on the basis of benefits on W.
Joe's already working on mechanisms by which we can achieve that.
Working with our partners both in the north and the South.
Thank you very much.
This was a Maria Henao gets triple who is a unit, had a research and development blueprint with our emergency program.
Let's try Chris one more time.
Thomas from Bloomberg before we finished for today.
Thomas, can you hear?
Can you hear?
Can you hear it?
We have to leave it for tomorrow.
We will conclude for today.
Thanks everyone for watching us.
We will have audio file and transcript and that maybe this will tell us.
When do we see each other again?
On Monday.
Born weekend again.