As virus outbreaks multiply, UN declines to declare pandemic

[turbinetree]

Source: Associated Press

By MARIA CHENG
an hour ago

LONDON (AP) — As cases of the coronavirus surge in Italy, Iran, South Korea, the U.S. and elsewhere, many scientists say it’s plain that the world is in the grips of a pandemic — a serious global outbreak.

The World Health Organization has so far resisted describing the crisis as such, saying the word “pandemic” might spook the world further and lead some countries to lose hope of containing the virus.

“Unless we’re convinced it’s uncontrollable, why (would) we call it a pandemic?” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this week.

The U.N. health agency has previously described a pandemic as a situation in which a new virus is causing “sustained community-level outbreaks” in at least two world regions.

Read more: https://apnews.com/16cd6173232a01ec04780db3eea4de79

[Mike 03]

1. Really interesting article

Many experts say that threshold has long been met: The virus that was first identified in China is now spreading freely in four regions, it has reached every continent but Antarctica, and its advance seems unavoidable. The disease has managed to gain a foothold and multiply quickly even in countries with relatively strong public health systems.

On Friday, the virus hit a new milestone, infecting more than 100,000 people worldwide, far more than those sickened by SARS, MERS or Ebola in recent years.

“I think it’s pretty clear we’re in a pandemic and I don’t know why WHO is resisting that,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

[Igel]

8. If it's a bloodless definition that's at stake, meh.

If, however, there's some larger point--whether sensationalist media coverage, outrage and outcry, etc.--then anything that serves to tamp that down makes hesitation over the nomenclature seem situationally justified.

[raccoon]

2. "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." nt

[AllyCat]

3. This is controllable???

I don't see anything about this that is controllable right now. Our nation's efforts are woefully inadequate compared to other countries' responses and it is still spreading like wildfire. More than 5,000 new cases since 0700 yesterday.

[former9thward]

5. It is not "spreading like wildfire" in the U.S.

Who are you comparing the U.S. to? Italy? China? Iran? If anything the U.S. should have massive amounts of cases everywhere given that large numbers of our citizens travel the globe everyday. We have relatively few cases.

[cannabis_flower]

7. The definition they gave was..

Uncontrolled spreading in at least 2 regions. It's spreading like wildfire in China, South Korea and now Italy. I would consider that a pandemic. No one said it had to be spreading like wildfire in the US to be a pandemic.

[NickB79]

9. We have relatively few cases because we have few test kits to use

Wherever we've done extensive testing, numbers spike.

[JudyM]

10. This.

[AllyCat]

11. Here's a fascinating map.

A week ago, there were a few cases dotted in some locales. Looks like it’s spreading to me. But WE’LL NEVER KNOW BECAUSE WE AREN’T TESTING.

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

[former9thward]

12. YES WE ARE TESTING

700,000 kits have been distributed as of Friday. YES WE WILL KNOW.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/u-s-coronavirus-testing-capacity-not-currently-adequate-expert-tells-n1151751

[AllyCat]

14. That is not what your linked article says.

Nor is it what is happening where I work. The hoops we have to jump through to get a test is ridiculous.

[former9thward]

15. I guess we read what we want to read....

The initial test used in America for the never-before-seen coronavirus was developed by the CDC. The new test kits are manufactured by Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc., which told NBC News in a statement Friday afternoon that it had delivered enough kits to test more than 700,000 individuals using the CDC protocol.

[NickB79]

16. And as those kits are used over the next few months, cases will skyrocket

From your own link:

While other countries have run tens of thousands of tests — South Korea has tested more than 100,000 patients — the U.S. has tested barely a fraction of that. Technical glitches and narrow criteria for who could be tested initially hampered the efforts.

Only a few thousand of those 700,000 kits have been used to date. This is going to be an eye opener as the kits are used.

[customerserviceguy]

4. This is why

I distrust the WHO.

[Warpy]

6. Perspective: 100,000 out of 7,000,000,000 people have it.Th

That is 0.0001%. That means your chance of getting it today, tomorrow, or even next week are statistically nil unless you live or work with someone who is down with it. Panic buying anything is a stupid idea that is going to feed on itself and none of it is going to work.

It's not a pandemic, not yet. There have to be many people ill across many countries for that to be declared. It's only the possibility of a pandemic at this point. It isn't time to hit the panic button.

It's time to develop good habits that will help when colds and flu are going around, too, like washing your hands when you can and not touching your face with your fingers unless you're at home where nobody's ill and your hands are clean.

It's not a pandemic, not yet. It might become one, especially next winter. For now, stay calm and wash your fucking hands.

[former9thward]

13. Yes, excellent.

Even in Wuhan, where it all started and where people are packed together like sardines, only 1 out 1,000 got infected.