WHO supports Beijing coronavirus measures

The World Health Organization says it supports recent measures taken by China to contain the outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia, or COVID-19, including the monitoring of individuals returning to Beijing.

A representative from the global health authority commented on China's handling of the epidemic at a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday afternoon.

"They are taking very direct measures to ensure that people returning to the city are observed and monitored," said Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme.

"Now you can argue whether those measures are excessive or whether they are restrictive of people, but there is a lot at stake here. There is an awful lot at stake here in terms of public health, not only for China, but for all people in the world. What we like to see is well thought out, evidence-based public health measures that pay due respect for people's individual liberty and individual human rights. Finding that balance is sometimes difficult, but right now the strategic and tactical approach in China is the correct one."

Ryan said that China has executed the progressive implementation of public health measures.

"If you look at what's happening in Wuhan now, the government authorities in China spent a number of weeks pressuring the virus, and you saw the numbers have dropped away," he said. "Now they have engaged in door-to-door surveillance and they are going around doing active surveillance. This is a very good public health practice."

Ryan added: "Beijing is a central point in the country where many, many workers return to. So what China is trying to do is, while they are getting success in putting out one fire, they don't want the fire to start somewhere else."

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on nations to speed up the sharing of data relating to COVID-19, and outlined several measures the organization is taking to increase preparedness around the globe.

He said that, by the end of the week, 40 new countries in Africa and 29 countries in Latin America will have the ability to test patients for COVID-19 at domestic labs. Ghebreyesus said these countries have been sending tests to other nations, causing a delay of several days for diagnoses.

WHO has shipped personal protective equipment and other supplies to 21 countries so far, and Ghebreyesus said another 106 are to follow.

"We still have the chance of preventing a broader global crisis," he said.

According to WHO, as of Tuesday there were 72,528 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in China, where 1,870 people have been killed by the disease. In the past 24 hours, there have been 1,891 new cases in China.

Outside of China, three people have died and 804 cases have been confirmed in 25 countries. In the past day there have been 110 cases confirmed outside of China, including 99 cases on the Diamond Princess cruise ship which is currently quarantined off the coast of Japan.