World Health Organization: The World Health Organization and Wikimedia Foundation expand access to trusted information about COVID-19 on Wikipedia. “The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that administers Wikipedia, announced today a collaboration to expand the public’s access to the latest and most reliable information about COVID-19. The collaboration will make trusted, public health information available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license at a time when countries face continuing resurgences of COVID-19 and social stability increasingly depends on the public’s shared understanding of the facts.”
World Health Organization (WHO)
Coronavirus: Two million deaths ‘very likely’ even with vaccine, WHO warns (BBC)
BBC: Coronavirus: Two million deaths ‘very likely’ even with vaccine, WHO warns. “The global coronavirus death toll could hit two million before an effective vaccine is widely used, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. Dr Mike Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies head, said the figure could be higher without concerted international action. Almost one million people have died with Covid-19 worldwide since the disease first emerged in China late last year.”
Exclusive: Vaccine group says 76 rich countries now committed to ‘COVAX’ access plan (Reuters)
Reuters: Exclusive: Vaccine group says 76 rich countries now committed to ‘COVAX’ access plan. “Seventy-six wealthy nations are now committed to joining a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to help buy and fairly distribute the shots, the project’s co-lead said on Wednesday.” The list does not include the United States.
BBC: Coronavirus pandemic could be over within two years – WHO head
BBC: Coronavirus pandemic could be over within two years – WHO head. “The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) says he hopes the coronavirus pandemic will be over in under two years. Speaking in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Spanish flu of 1918 had taken two years to overcome. But he added that current advances in technology could enable the world to halt the virus ‘in a shorter time’.”
World Health Organization: New COVID-19 Law Lab to provide vital legal information and support for the global COVID-19 response
World Health Organization: New COVID-19 Law Lab to provide vital legal information and support for the global COVID-19 response. “Launching today, the COVID-19 Law Lab initiative gathers and shares legal documents from over 190 countries across the world to help states establish and implement strong legal frameworks to manage the pandemic. The goal is to ensure that laws protect the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities and that they adhere to international human rights standards.”
ProPublica: Inside the Trump Administration’s Decision to Leave the World Health Organization
ProPublica: Inside the Trump Administration’s Decision to Leave the World Health Organization. “Despite Trump’s declared exit from the WHO, officials continued working toward reforms and to prevent withdrawal. This week, they were told they must justify any cooperation with the WHO on the grounds of national security and public health safety.”
Coronavirus: WHO reports record single-day global increase in cases (BBC)
BBC: Coronavirus: WHO reports record single-day global increase in cases. “The number of new cases of coronavirus rose by almost 260,000 in 24 hours – the largest single-day increase since the pandemic began, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday. According to the WHO, this is the first time the number of new daily infections has surpassed a quarter of a million. The biggest increases were in the US, Brazil, India and South Africa.”
New York Times: The Coronavirus Can Be Airborne Indoors, W.H.O. Says
New York Times: The Coronavirus Can Be Airborne Indoors, W.H.O. Says. “The coronavirus may linger in the air in crowded indoor spaces, spreading from one person to the next, the World Health Organization acknowledged on Thursday. The W.H.O. had described this form of transmission as doubtful and a problem mostly in medical procedures. But growing scientific and anecdotal evidence suggest this route may be important in spreading the virus, and this week more than 200 scientists urged the agency to revisit the research and revise its position.”
CNN: Trump administration begins formal withdrawal from World Health Organization
CNN: Trump administration begins formal withdrawal from World Health Organization. “The Trump administration has notified Congress and the United Nations that the United States is formally withdrawing from the World Health Organization, multiple officials tell CNN, a move that comes amid a rising number of coronavirus cases throughout the Americas in the last week alone. Sen. Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee tweeted the news Tuesday.”
239 Experts With One Big Claim: The Coronavirus Is Airborne (The New York Times)
The New York Times: 239 Experts With One Big Claim: The Coronavirus Is Airborne . “The coronavirus is finding new victims worldwide, in bars and restaurants, offices, markets and casinos, giving rise to frightening clusters of infection that increasingly confirm what many scientists have been saying for months: The virus lingers in the air indoors, infecting those nearby.”
ProPublica: Inside the Trump Administration’s Decision to Leave the World Health Organization
ProPublica: Inside the Trump Administration’s Decision to Leave the World Health Organization. “Despite Trump’s declared exit from the WHO, officials continued working toward reforms and to prevent withdrawal. This week, they were told they must justify any cooperation with the WHO on the grounds of national security and public health safety.”
The Hill: WHO warns world faces ‘dangerous phase’ of coronavirus
The Hill: WHO warns world faces ‘dangerous phase’ of coronavirus. “The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a sobering warning late this week about the status of the coronavirus pandemic, saying that the virus that has killed more than 460,000 people worldwide is still malignant.”
CNN: Republicans urge Trump not to terminate relationship with World Health Organization
CNN: Republicans urge Trump not to terminate relationship with World Health Organization. “Despite alleging that the World Health Organization “enabled” the Chinese government’s sweeping cover-up of the coronavirus pandemic’s origins, House Republicans are urging the Trump administration to reconsider its recent decision to terminate relations with the international body, arguing the US can do more to affect change as a member.”
Washington Post: Are asymptomatic people spreading the coronavirus? A WHO official’s words spark confusion, debate
Washington Post: Are asymptomatic people spreading the coronavirus? A WHO official’s words spark confusion, debate. “A comment by a WHO official on Monday — calling such asymptomatic transmissions ‘very rare’ — touched off a furious scientific debate over the unresolved question and attracted widespread criticism of the organization. Less than 24 hours later, WHO convened a special news conference to walk back its comments, stressing that much remains unknown. But the comment from Monday had already spread widely and been seized upon by conservatives and others to bolster arguments that people do not need to wear masks or maintain social distancing precautions.”
Coronavirus: Backlash after Trump signals US exit from WHO (BBC)
BBC: Coronavirus: Backlash after Trump signals US exit from WHO. “President Donald Trump has been criticised at home and abroad after announcing he is ending US ties with the World Health Organization (WHO). The EU urged him to reconsider the decision, while Germany’s health minister called it a ‘disappointing setback for international health’. The head of the US Senate’s health committee, a Republican like Mr Trump, said now was not the time to leave.”