WHO Concerned Over Rising Coronavirus Cases In Poor Countries

The World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed concern on Wednesday about the rising number of new coronavirus cases in poor countries, even as many rich nations have begun emerging from lockdown, a British media service reported.

The global health body said 106,000 new cases of infections of the novel coronavirus had been recorded in 24 hours span, the most in a single day since the outbreak began. “We still have a long way to go in this pandemic,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference. “We are very concerned about rising cases in low and middle income countries.” Dr. Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s emergencies programme, said: “We will soon reach thetragic milestone of 5 million cases.”

Meanwhile the WHO head said he would keep leading the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut off funding and quit the body. Ghebreyesus defended the agency’s role after the United States again withheld full support for a resolution passed by member states on the pandemic. “We want accountability more than anyone,” Tedros told a virtual meeting of the WHO’s 194 member states. “We will continue providing strategic leadership to coordinate the global response.”

Washington allowed the resolution calling for a review of the global response to the pandemic to pass by consensus, but said it objected to language about reproductive health rights and permission for poor countries to waive patent rules.