The World Health Organization (WHO) focused on the topic of containment for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) last February 24. They cited the Philippines when expressing their confidence that the coronavirus could be contained, as there have been no reports of a new case in over 2 weeks.
(Philippines’ First Confirmed nCoV Case Now Tests Negative)
According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, there are 9 countries that have not reported any new cases in over 2 weeks while 14 countries have not reported any new cases in over a week. These 9 countries include the Philippines, Belgium, Cambodia, Finland, India, Nepal, the Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, and Sweden.
However, Ghebreyesus precautioned during his daily briefing in Geneva that while this means containment is possible, it “doesn’t mean that cases may not come back.”
“The primary objective of all countries with cases must be to contain the virus. As I told you, I read the list of nine countries that have not reported cases for two weeks. We should do the same: try to contain,” the WHO chief said.
“At the same time, all countries, whether they have cases or not, must prepare for a potential pandemic. Every country needs to be ready to detect cases early, to isolate patients, trace contacts, provide quality clinical care, prevent hospital outbreaks, and prevent community transmission,” Ghebreyesus concluded.
The Philippines’ Department of Health reported as of February 27 that the number of patients under investigation (PUIs) for possible COVID-19 infection reached 615. 548 of that number have been discharged, while 64 are still confined or awaiting laboratory results.
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