Coronavirus outbreak: WHO asks India to guide the world
Earlier it was the Chinese model of containing the virus that caught the eyes and hearts of our European and American counterparts. Today, the India model of controlling the virus has caught the WHO’s interest. WHO mentions that India had earlier led the world in eradicating two pandemics namely Smallpox and Polio despite being a densely populated country. Hence, they believe India is the right country to guide the world and show the way to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chief Executive Director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme Michael J Ryan said, “We need to find all the cases first to find out where the virus is. When the outbreak becomes large, we need to understand where the outbreak is and where the cases are surging. There is a need for the number of labs where a surge is seen.”
“India is a very populous country and the future of this virus will be considered in a very highly & densely populated country. India led the world in eradicating two pandemics, small-pox, and polio so India has tremendous capacity. There are no easy answers. It is exceptionally important that countries like India show the way to the world as they have done before,” he added.
WHO lauds India’s decision on lockdown
The WHO lauded India’s decision to impose a lockdown in 75 affected districts of the country besides suspending trains, buses and metros on Monday. India’s response to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus was “comprehensive” and “robust”, says Dr. Roderico Ofrin- the Regional Emergencies Director, WHO South-East Asia. He was of the opinion that the lockdown and suspensions of public transport services in India reflected the country’s resolve to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. He also said that these measures could slow down the rate of transmission and stressed that this needed to be complemented by effective steps to isolate, test, treat and trace.
Dr. Roderico Ofrin remarked, “India has been rolling out a comprehensive and robust response to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19. Its latest announcements related to quarantine and social distancing measure, including recent lockdown of 75 affected districts, suspension of rail, inter-state bus services, and metro services are initiatives of unprecedented scale and reflect the country’s resolve to prevent the spread of the pandemic which is spreading globally at an alarming rate. These measures can help slow down virus transmission along with the continued effective measures being taken to isolate, test, treat and trace.”
COVID-19 cases rise in India
So far, India has over 490 confirmed cases of the virus. Along with this, nine deaths have been reported. Several states have announced lockdowns and curfew has been imposed on few till at least March 31. Public transports services and non-essential services too have been suspended. Currently, there are around 381,521 confirmed cases of COVID-19 around the world. The death toll is around 16,553. Meanwhile, around 102,429 have reportedly been recovered.
