The outbreak of coronavirus has caused a huge disruption in China in the past few months. The death toll has reached about 26,000 while several hundreds of people are infected and the entire population is at the risk of getting infected. Recently, the WHO Director-General had visited Beijing for discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Ministers regarding the countermeasures for the deadly coronavirus. However, he returned with an agreement to send an international mission to China.
WHO team visited China
WHO declared the outbreak of the global emergency on January 30, 2020. It has been done several days after the Chinese government has imposed a lockdown on around 60 million people in Wuhan and Hubei. Despite, there was an agreement to send a mission to China, the government has taken nearly two weeks to approve the composition of the team to visit China. Tedros tweeted from Geneva that “I’ve just been at the airport seeing off members of an advance team for the @WHO-led #2019nCoV international expert mission to #China, led by Dr. Bruce Aylward, a veteran of past public health emergencies.” WHO veteran Dr. Bruce Aylward is a Canadian epidemiologist and emergency expert.
WHO tackling the world emergency
A team from WHO led by Bruce Aylward’s arrival to China is the result of increasing criticism faced by WHO. In the initial stage, WHO has refused to declare coronavirus as a global health emergency which led it to receive strong criticism from all over the world. It had also done officials’ effusive praise of China’s handling of the crisis which led to increased criticism against WHO. Hence, the team was sent to China to look into the major causes of coronavirus in China. It will help in developing the cure methods to save the population.
Deaths caused due to coronavirus
Coronavirus outbreak has now killed more people than the SARS epidemic did in 2002-2003 across the globe. The death toll from the outbreak has risen by 97 which is the largest number in a single day so far. Over the weekend an American hospitalized in a Wuhan hospital was the first non-Chinese infected with the coronavirus. The total death toll has reached so far to 40,171.
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Workplaces remain closed in China
Along with the schools, a large number of workplaces remained closed on Monday, February 10. Authorities had asked businesses to include 10 more days into their holidays that were due to finish at the end of January. However, some of the companies have allowed their white-collar workers to work from home.
Economic woes due to coronavirus
The global epidemic of coronavirus has impacted the economy as well. It has driven up the food prices which vegetables that are now about 17%more expensive. The major staple in the Chinese diet, pork, prices has also increased due to the increase in devastating swine disease. Its prices have been increased to 116% as compared to the previous years. This kind of global economic crisis has led the WHO to take immediate action on coronavirus and declare it as a global health emergency.