Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the Dangers of Politicizing the Coronavirus Pandemic

When a contagious, deadly pandemic sweeps around the globe, people look to the World Health Organization (WHO) for guidance. It’s not easy to be the person in charge under those circumstances, but as director-general of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has led the way. Tedros, as he likes to be called, is one of the TIME100 honorees for 2020. During a TIME100 Talks interview with Senior Correspondent Alice Park, he discussed the WHO’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and the dangers of politicizing a virus that knows no boundaries. March 11, 2020—the day the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic—is seared into many people’s minds. But by then, the WHO had been ringing the alarm for more than a month; on Jan. 30, when most cases were in China, the WHO declared the outbreak a global health emergency. “We were using language asking the world to wake up in early February,” Tedros said. “From the start, we knew it was serious. It was dangerous. It was public enemy number one.” There was so much more to come. Dealing with a brand-new virus meant starting with little knowledge, and the WHO made missteps along the way. It’s been criticized for being late to recommend that the general public wear face coverings, guidance that only came in early June. Previously, it had only advised that health care workers, people with the disease and those taking care of them should wear medical masks. “There was a shortage of m...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 TIME100 Talks Source Type: news