WHO Statement - Every country needs to take boldest actions to stop COVID-19
Drs. Evelien Van Der Vinne MM MSc MBA Director BeForced
Raad van Toezicht * SER TopVrouw * Programmamanager Onderzoeker * IZA Transformaties * Artificial Intelligence Governance Zorg * Digital Health * Netwerk Zorg * [email protected] * 0636401110
Statement to the press by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe
Copenhagen, Denmark, 17 March 2020
Ladies and gentlemen, we are holding this press briefing in an empty UN City building while staff work remotely as a social distancing measure in response to COVID-19.
The lives of millions of people in the WHO European Region are undergoing radical change. This is, quite simply, a new reality. The role of public health services is understood. The value of health workers is appreciated like never before.
As of today, 152 countries across the globe are affected by this new virus and over 7000 people have lost their lives to it. One-third of globally reported cases are in the European Region.
Europe is the epicenter of the first pandemic of COVID-19 and every country, with no exceptions, needs to take their boldest actions to stop or slow down the spread of this virus. “Boldest actions” should include community action. Thinking that “this does not concern me” is not an option.
The good news is that the Region is alert and on guard. Preparedness, readiness and response measures on multiple levels have been launched in all our Member States. We monitor those measures on an ongoing basis and hold regular consultations with counterparts in health ministries to gather and share helpful information.