The novel coronavirus is spreading at an alarming rate, warned again the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday, saying it took 67 days from the first reported case to reach the first 100,000 cases, 11 days for the second 100,000 cases and just 4 days for the third 100,000 cases.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the remarks at the launch of video campaign in collaboration with Fifa, the international governing body of football, to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Football can reach millions of people, especially younger people, that public health officials cannot…The pandemic is accelerating,” said Ghebreyesus.
“But we’re not prisoners to statistics. We’re not helpless bystanders. We can change the trajectory of this pandemic…You can’t win a football game only by defending. You have to attack as well.”The “Pass the message to kick out coronavirus” video campaign will have 28 footballers, including India’s Sunil Chhetri, reminding people about the five key things to do prevent transmission – washing hands, sneezing etiquette, distancing, avoiding face touching, and staying home.
Fifa has also contributed $10 million to the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
Ghebreyesus said asking people to stay home and other physical distancing measures are crucial to slow down the spread of the virus and buying time but they are defensive measures.
“To win, we need to attack the virus with aggressive and targeted tactics – testing every suspected case, isolating and caring for every confirmed case, and tracing and quarantining every close contact,” he added.
The director general said solving the problem would requires political commitment and political coordination at the global level. “This week, I will be addressing heads of state and government from the G20 countries. Among other issues, I will be asking them to work together to increase production, avoid export bans and ensure equity of distribution, on the basis of need.”The world’s biggest football leagues have been suspended because of the pandemic that has infected at least 381,499 globally, with death toll at 16,557. In India, cases have surged past 500.
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