How we will stop the 2019-new coronavirus outbreak together

People around the world have heard about the spread of the novel coronavirus, called #2019nCoV, and people are concerned. When a new virus enters the human population, it is always a worry because people do not have immunity to it—precisely because it is new.

As of 7 February, the virus had been reported in 24 countries, though 99% of cases (over 31,000) are in China. All but one of the 638 deaths occurred in China.  

But this is a time for rational, evidence-based action and investment, while we still have a window of opportunity to bring this outbreak under control. We cannot defeat this outbreak without solidarity on all fronts – political solidarity, technical solidarity and financial solidarity.

This week WHO and global health partners launched a Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP), to support countries to prevent, detect and diagnose transmission of the coronavirus.

The plan requires $675 million during February-April, including $61.5 million to fund WHO’s operations. The rest is for countries that are especially at risk, particularly those with weak health systems. More details on where resources will be allocated can be found in the Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan.  

$675 million is a lot of money. But it is much less than the bill we will face if we do not invest in preparedness now. We have learned this lesson with Ebola. So far, more than $1 billion has been spent trying to stop the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. By comparison, just $18 million was spent on preparedness in Uganda. But when Ebola did cross the border, they were ready, and stopped it.

We’re seeing countries improve their preparedness efforts, however, more support is needed. In addition to the public health measures outlined in the SPRP, WHO emphasizes the following:

1.    There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade. Such restrictions can have the effect of increasing fear and stigma, with little public health benefit. Where such measures have been implemented, we urge that they are short in duration, proportionate to the public health risks, and are reconsidered regularly as the situation evolves.

2.    We must support countries with weaker health systems. WHO has released $9 million from our Contingency Fund for Emergencies. To 24 of the most vulnerable countries, WHO is sending half a million masks; 350,000 pairs of gloves; 40,000 respirators; and almost 18,000 isolation gowns from our warehouses in Dubai and Accra, and we will add more countries. We’re sending 250,000 tests to more than 70 reference laboratories globally to facilitate faster testing.

3.    We must accelerate the development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. We are organizing a global research meeting next week to identify and accelerate research priorities related to diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. This meeting will also identify and prioritize research related to the animal source, epidemiologic, clinical, and social science investigations.

4.    Combat the spread of rumours and misinformation. To that end, we have worked with Google, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tiktok to make sure people searching for information about coronavirus see WHO information at the top of their search results and to limit the spread of misinformation. We are also working closely with social media providers in China.  For more information go to WHO webpage.

5.    Review preparedness plans, identify gaps and evaluate the resources needed to identify, isolate and care for cases, and prevent transmission.  Within a week of the first cases being reported, WHO published technical guidance to help countries manage travel and trade, monitor for the disease, care for patients, prevent spread within health facilities, communicate with the public about the risks, check their levels of readiness, and know what supplies to have on hand. This guidance, which is regularly updated, is available for everyone on WHO’s website and has also been shared with our Regional offices and with each WHO Country Office.

6.    The only way we will defeat this outbreak is for all countries to work together in a spirit of solidarity and cooperation. International collaboration and evidence-based action underpins all response and preparedness efforts. Together, we can work towards containing and ending this outbreak. 

The outbreak continues to evolve and there are still many unknowns. But what we do know –based on previous experience with coronaviruses and other diseases—tells us what we need to do. Every day we learn and adapt our efforts accordingly along with our partners—both in countries that are directly affected by the coronavirus and throughout the rest of the world. We are all in this together, and we can stop this outbreak together.