Takeshi Kasai, Regional Director for the Western Pacific at the World Health Organization (WHO), warns that the coronavirus pandemic in Asia-Pacific is far from over.
Kasai also informed that the current measures are buying time for countries to prepare for large-scale transmissions. Despite the measures, current risks will not simply go.
“Let me be clear. The epidemic is far from over in Asia and the Pacific. This is going to be a long-term battle and we cannot let down our guard. We need every country to keep preparing for large-scale community transmission,” Kasai told the media.
Although the focus now is in Europe, WHO will also prioritize countries with limited resources such as Pacific Island nations. This is so because the access makes it difficult to test samples as they have to ship it to other countries.
However, Asian countries are also raising concerns. Even though cases in Singapore and South Korea are beginning to decrease, some countries, such as Indonesia and Cambodia, are new to the outbreak.
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Coronavirus in Asia
Globally, there are already more than 700.000 confirmed cases as the COVID-19 pandemic is starting its mass-transmission in the US and Europe. Asia, however, has diverse cases with the pandemic.
China, the ground zero of coronavirus outbreak, has beginning to recover from it. Following the country, South Korea and Singapore are also experiencing the same thing despite some cases still appear in new areas.
“Whereas countries and areas in this region have shown how to flatten the curve, outbreaks continue to pop up in new places and importation remains a concern,” said Matthew Griffith, WHO technical advisor. At the same briefing, he cited cases in Singapore and South Korea from people who traveled abroad.
In some countries like India, Indonesia, and Malaysia, the virus is on its way to reach the peak. Some measures such as lock downs and regional quarantines have been implemented to curb the impacts.
Regarding the situation, WHO expects that no country is safe from the pandemic as it will eventually get everywhere. Again, WHO warns countries to not let their guards down.
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