The new virus from China has killed more than 1,000 people, the World Health Organization said Tuesday in warning nations not to “squander” the window it has to keep the disease from spiraling out of control.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said there have been 42,708 confirmed cases in mainland China and 1,017 deaths from the novel coronavirus.
Outside of China, there are 393 confirmed cases in 24 countries. A man died in the Philippines after traveling there from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak.
Also Tuesday, U.S. officials said they’ve recorded a 13th case. The infection was detected in a person who is under quarantine in California after returning from Wuhan, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Global health officials praised China for taking steps to keep the virus from spreading more rapidly around the world. Most of the cases are clustered in the Hubei Province that includes Wuhan.
Moving forward, Mr. Ghebreyesus said the world must use the coming days and weeks to stamp out the virus before it gets much worse.
“If we don’t, we could have far more cases, and far higher costs on our hands,” he said. “I don’t think anybody wants that. This is a common enemy, and we have to fight it using this window of opportunity and fight it hard.”
Mr. Ghebreyesus unveiled a new name for the disease, “covid-19.” The name is a combination of the words corona, virus and disease and the year it was discovered.
The coronavirus has disrupted supply chains, causing economic jitters, stranded people in quarantine on cruise ships and produced a patchwork of travel restrictions.
The Trump administration says it is doing its part to combat the disease.
Writing in USA Today, Health Secretary Alex Azar and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pointed to President Trump’s decision to screen travelers from China and bar foreign nationals who’ve been inside China within the past 14 days. They said the U.S. offered to send disease experts to China, donated of over 17 tons in supplies and provided 191 test kits to labs around the world.
“We’re undeterred in our vigilance to protect our people. And we’re mobilizing resources around the world to help other nations fight the disease, too. This is American altruism at its finest,” Mr. Azar and Mr. Pompeo wrote.
The officials also expressed condolences for the 60-year-old woman in Wuhan who became the first American citizen to die of the coronavirus.
While coronavirus grabs most of the headlines, WHO said it is important not to forget other pathogens. For instance, there has been a deadly Ebola outbreak in a war-torn part of the Democratic Republic of Congo since August 2018.
“We cannot and must not forget Ebola,” Mr. Ghebreyesus said. “We’re very encouraged by the current trend.”
He said there have only been three cases in DRC in the past week and no cases in the past three days.
“But until we have no cases for 42 days, it’s not over,” Mr. Ghebreyesus said. “As you know, any single case could reignite the epidemic and the security situation in eastern DRC remains extremely fragile.”
He said a special committee will convene on Wednesday to determine whether the Ebola situation remains a pubic health emergency of international concern.
Mr. Ghebreyesus will travel to DRC’s capital, Kinshasa, later this week to address the Ebola situation and other health problems in the country.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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