New Delhi (NVI): As countries across the globe struggle to combat coronavirus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the problem is going to persist for a “long time”.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there are “worrying upward trends” in early epidemics in parts of Africa and central and South America.
“Make no mistake, we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time,” he said at a virtual media briefing.
“Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemic and some that were affected early in the pandemic are starting to see a resurgence in cases,” he said.
On the issue of US President Donald Trump announcing halt to funding of the WHO, Tedros expressed hope that the decision would be reconsidered.
“I hope the freezing of the funding will be reconsidered and the US will once again support WHO’s work and continue to save lives,” he said.
Trump last week alleged that the WHO had “covered up” on the coronavirus crisis and said the US would halt its funding to the tune of 400-500 dollars to the UN body.
The US President has said that the WHO had grossly mismanaged the crisis after first cases were detected in China in late December last year and that because of this, the entire world is suffering.
Tedros defended WHO’s handling of COVID-19, saying it declared a global emergency “early enough” on January 30 – its highest level of alert.
“I hope the US believes that this is an important investment, not just to help others but for the U.S. to stay safe also,” the WHO chief said.
