Global Pandemic Event 201

[BIAD]

The whole world is at a standstill and the people are terrified of the invisible lurgy that's silently going door-to-door
with evil intent on its mind. It may be that in the future, everything will have to be made out of wood as a particular
virus doesn't seem to like it.


Published Sun, Mar 29, 2020

Coronavirus cannot be passed on from newspapers, World Health Organisation confirms.

'Coronavirus cannot be caught from newspapers, the World Health Organisation and medical experts have confirmed.



Thousands of people across the UK buy a newspaper or have one delivered every single day. In light of the COVID-19
pandemic causing havoc across the globe, health experts have issued warnings urging members of the public to avoid
unnecessarily touching objects which may have come into contact with a large number of people.

However, the World Health Organisation has confirmed newspapers will not carry the virus...'

No seriously, stop it... 

'In a statement the international body said: "The likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low
and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed
to different conditions and temperature is also low.”

Reinforcing the statement medical practitioner Doctor Hilary Jones said: "For public health information right now it's
important people have access to information through newspapers." He stressed: "It's possible to deliver newspapers
safely.
"If someone physically picks them up and delivers them to a doorstep or letterbox it's safe."...'

Come now, yer' can't just take the p*ss like this and expect to get away with it... 

'Publishers have also long protected customers and staff through health and safety measures at printing plants, distribution
centres, and home delivery. Virologist George Lomonossoff, of the John Innes independent research centre in Norwich, is
an expert in molecular biology and the properties of viruses and underlined the safety of newspapers further.

He said: “Newspapers are pretty sterile because of the way they are printed and the process they’ve been through to be
produced. "Traditionally, people have eaten fish and chips out of them for that very reason."
Royal Mail and Amazon packages should also be safe from COVID-19...'

  We're gonna get letters! You can't just say the one material you happened to work with is
safe. That's being a little-bit over the top now, isn't it?!

'The UK Government has committed to allowing news providers to stay open within new lockdown legislation and confirmed
that journalists are recognised as key workers. Research conducted on the new coronavirus and others similar to it, such as
SARS, suggest the virus can spread through particles in the air and via contaminated surfaces...'


'However, Covid-19 is a respiratory illness and is largely spread via droplets in the air, says John Lednicky, a virologist who
studies coronaviruses at the University of Florida...'

The Express:

So it isn't just wood-pulp then? But it just happens to be that the material Journalists use is the one they write about.
Imagine my surprise!!



Are you f*ckin' kidding me? The real pisser, the one that Trump was hauled over the coals for, is that
global organisations have been shilling for the Chinese Government and taking money from from the
same people they lied to.

No human-to-human transmission, no travel bans, but plenty of praise for Beijing:
How WHO parroted Chinese lies as coronavirus pandemic unfolded

'The World Heath Organisation has found itself with serious questions to answer after President Trump accused the UN agency of
'severely mismanaging' its response to the coronavirus pandemic and withheld $500million in funding.



The WHO has been spearheading global efforts to fight the virus, but has come under attack for playing along with China as the country
sought to minimise its initial outbreak and the threat the disease posed. Critics point to its uncritical parroting of Chinese government data,
early claims that the disease was not spreading person-to-person, and praise for the country's leaders as evidence that it was not fulfilling
its role.

Trump - who is facing heavy criticism for his own response - has blasted the WHO for advising against travel bans, which he claims
'accelerated the pandemic all around the world', and called for an investigation.

Here, the Mail Online has tracked key WHO statements about coronavirus - from the first cases, through China's outbreak, and beyond
- to reveal what the world's largest health body said and when as the disease spread...

December 31 – China first reports a cluster of unusual pneumonia cases in Wuhan to the WHO

January 4 – WHO tweets about ‘a cluster of pneumonia cases’ in Wuhan with no deaths, saying investigations into the cause are underway

January 5 – The WHO issues its first guidance on ‘pneumonia of unknown cause’, saying there are a total of 44 patients and 11 in severe
condition. The main symptom is listed as fever, with ‘a few patients having difficulty breathing’  The WHO says there is ‘no evidence of human
-to-human transmission’ and that ‘no health care worker infections have been reported’

January 7 – China says it has identified the cause of the pneumonia as a ‘novel coronavirus’, initially named 2019-nCoV by the WHO

January 9 – The WHO praises China for identifying the new virus ‘in a short space of time’ and repeats its assessment that the virus ‘does
not transmit readily between people’. It also advises against travel or trade restrictions on China

January 13 – The WHO says it is now working with authorities in Thailand after reports of a case there, and may call a meeting of the
Emergency Committee

January 14 – The WHO tweets saying there is ‘no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission in China’, though later clarifies and
says there may have been limited transmission via family members

Jan 20-21 - WHO's field team in China conducts a brief field visit to epicentre Wuhan

Jan 21 – The first case is confirmed on US soil in Washington, in a person who had travelled from China a week before

Jan 22 – A report from the WHO team sent to Wuhan notes ‘human-to-human’ transmission is taking place, but says more research is
needed to assess ‘the full extent’. The report notes confirmed infections in 16 medics, a clear sign of transmission from patients
The team recommends avoiding large gatherings, isolating infected people, and a focus on washing hands as the best way to combat
the virus’s spread

The same day, that WHO Emergency Committee convenes for the first time. Afterwards, Dr Tedros says he has spoken with the Chinese
Minister for Health, and praises the government for its ‘invaluable’ efforts to halt the virus. He calls a second meeting for the following day

Jan 23 – With the Emergency Committee split, Dr Tedros says he has decided not to declare the virus a public health emergency of
international concern. Referencing the lockdown of Wuhan, which was announced the same day, he says he hopes ‘it will be effective
and short in duration’. He praises China’s ‘cooperation and transparency’ in tackling the virus

Dr Tedros says there is limited evidence of human-to-human transmission, mostly among families or doctors treating the virus.
At this point, there are 584 confirmed cases and 17 deaths globally, including in Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, Thailand and the US
He recommends screening at airports and tells countries to put testing facilities in place, but stops short of recommending a travel ban

Jan 28 – Dr Tedros and other senior WHO officials meet Xi Jinping in China, agreeing that a panel of experts should be sent to monitor
the outbreak. He praises ‘the seriousness with which China is taking this outbreak, especially the commitment from top leadership and
the transparency they have demonstrated’

Jan 29 – Dr Tedros gives a speech praising China’s efforts to contain the virus, saying the country ‘deserves our gratitude and respect’
for locking down swathes of the country to prevent the spread. He notes a few cases of human-to-human spread outside China, which
he says ‘is of grave concern’ and will be monitored closely

Jan 30 – The WHO Emergency Committee reconvenes early and declares a public health emergency of international concern. It comes
after confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission in Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the US

Dr Tedros again praises China for ‘setting a new standard for outbreak response’ with its lockdowns, and says the small number of cases
outside the country – 98 – is ‘thanks to their efforts’

Despite noting that a majority of cases outside China have a history of travel to or from Wuhan, he again
recommends no measures to curb international travel or trade

Jan 31 – Donald Trump announces travel restrictions on people coming from China

Feb 3 – Dr Tedros gives a speech to the WHO updating on coronavirus, saying there are 17,238 cases in China and 361 deaths
– now thought to be an under-estimate

He praises Xi Jinping for his individual leadership, and insists that cases outside China ‘can be managed’ if world authorities work
together and follow recommendations which include – no ban on travel or trade, supporting countries with weak health systems,
investment in vaccines and diagnosis, combating disinformation and urgent reviews of emergency preparedness

Feb 7 – Dr Li Wenliang, a doctor who first reported the existence of coronavirus and was initially silenced by China, dies from the virus

Feb 10 – The WHO’s team of experts arrives in China to assist with the outbreak

Feb 11 – The WHO names the disease caused by the virus COVID-19, saying it avoided including a geographical name because it risks
‘stigmatizing’ people. It says it will not be using the name SARS-CoV-2 because it risks causing ‘unnecessary fear’ by linking it to the 2003
SARS outbreak

Feb 12 – Dr Tedros says the number of new cases being reported in China has ‘stabilised’ but adds that it must be ‘interpreted with extreme
caution’ and the outbreak ‘could still go in any direction’

Feb 16-24 – WHO team of experts convenes in China, visiting affected sites and sharing information on the best ways to tackle the crisis

Feb 17 – Dr Tedros begins chairing daily updates on the coronavirus response, with each briefing beginning with an update on the number
of infections including from China, which are repeated without caveats

He give an analysis of Chinese data on some 44,000 confirmed cases. He says the data shows that 80 per cent of cases are mild, 14 per
cent lead to severe disease, and 2 per cent are fatal. The disease is more severe in older people, with the young largely spared.
He urges world leaders not to ‘squander’ a window of opportunity to get ahead of the virus and prevent it from spreading

Feb 26 – Donald Trump announces a dedicated coronavirus response team, which Mike Pence will lead

Feb 28 – The team of WHO experts delivers its first report on the coronavirus. Among its major findings are that the disease likely came from
bats, that it is spread through close contact with infected people and not through the air, and that most common symptoms include fever, dry
cough and fatigue

The report praises China’s response as ‘perhaps the most ambitious, agile and aggressive disease containment effort in history’ saying
lockdowns were achieved ‘due to the deep commitment of the Chinese people to collective action’ and had achieved a rapid decline in
cases

Mar 9 - The whole of Italy is placed on lockdown as the virus spreads, the first European nation to enter total lockdown

Mar 11 - The WHO declares coronavirus a pandemic, meaning it is spreading out of control in multiple locations around the world.
At this point, cases have been reported in more than 100 countries

Mar 13 - WHO says Europe is now the new epicentre of the virus after cases increase steeply, with Dr Tedros noting ‘more cases are now
being reported every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic’

Mar 19 - China reports no new domestic infections from coronavirus since the pandemic began

Mar 20 - Dr Tedros issues a warning that 'young people are not invincible' to the virus after data from outside showed  large numbers of
people under the age of 50 ending up in intensive care 

Mar 25 - As Donald Trump begins touting hydroxychloroquine as a potential coronavirus treatment, WHO warns that no drugs have so far
been approved for treating the virus The same day the organization calls for an extra $2billion in funding to help tackle the virus

Apr 3 - As millions of US citizens sign on for unemployment benefit, Dr Tedros and the IMF call for debt relief and social welfare to help
people through the pandemic

Apr 6 - The WHO updates its guidance on masks to say they are effective at stopping spread of the virus, but must be used in conjunction
with other methods.  It comes after the CDC updated its guidance to advise people to wear masks in public

Apr 8 - Following Trump's first barrage of criticism for the WHO, Dr Tedros urges world leaders to 'stop politicising the pandemic' unless
they want 'more body bags'

Apr 13 - A group of scientists convened by WHO to research a vaccine for coronavirus issue a joint statement urging world leaders to keep
listening to the scientific community when responding to the virus...'

Daily Mail: