WHO panel warns of ‘response fatigue’ amid viral crisis
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday warned the coronavirus pandemic was likely to be “lengthy” after its emergency committee met to evaluate the crisis six months after sounding the international alarm.
The committee “highlighted the anticipated lengthy duration of this COVID-19 pandemic,” the WHO said in a statement, and warned of the risk of “response fatigue” given the socioeconomic pressures on countries.
The panel gathered Friday for the fourth time over the coronavirus crisis, half a year on from its January 30 declaration of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) – the WHO’s highest level of alarm.
“WHO continues to assess the global risk level of COVID-19 to be very high,” it said following the meeting.
The novel coronavirus has killed at least 680,000 people and infected at least 17.6 million so far, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.
Health authorities had been expecting a surge in cases after the gradual loosening of a strict lockdown that was imposed at the end of March.
Unsurprisingly, the panel, comprising of 17 members and 12 advisers, unanimously agreed that the pandemic still constituted a PHEIC.
Several countries around the world have imposed strict lockdowns in a bid to control the spread of the respiratory disease, plunging economies into sharp contraction.
The committee urged the WHO to provide nuanced, pragmatic guidance on COVID-19 management “to reduce the risk of response fatigue in the context of socioeconomic pressures.”
The panel urged the WHO to support countries in preparing for the rollout of proven therapeutics and vaccines.
The committee also urged the agency to accelerate research into the remaining “critical unknowns” of the virus, such as the animal source of the disease and potential animal reservoirs.
It called for improved understanding of the epidemiology and severity of COVID-19, including its long-term health effects.
And the committee wanted more light shed on the dynamics of the novel coronavirus, such as “modes of transmission, shedding, potential mutations; immunity and correlates of protection.”
The near six-hour gathering was hosted at the WHO’s headquarters in Geneva, with some participants joining via video-link.
The committee will reconvene within the next three months.
Going into the meeting, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pandemic’s effects would be long-lasting.
“It’s sobering to think that six months ago, when you recommended I declare a PHEIC, there were less than 100 cases and no deaths outside China,” he said Friday.
“The pandemic is a once-in-a-century health crisis, the effects of which will be felt for decades to come.”
The committee warned countries to prepare their health systems to cope with seasonal influenza and other disease outbreaks alongside coronavirus.
They were also urged to “encourage global solidarity” on COVID-19 and address “mis/disinformation” about the virus.
A man disguised as Death walks on the beach inviting tourists to return to their homes – as the beaches are still closed to visitors – in Puerto Morelos, Mexico on Saturday amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: AFP
