WHO's Ryan Says 'We're Well Behind' Coronavirus In Europe

WHO's Ryan Says 'We're Well Behind' Coronavirus in Europe

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th October, 2020) The response to the coronavirus spread in Europe is "well behind" what it should have been, Michael J. Ryan, the executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, said on Monday.

"We need to get ahead of this virus and then we need to stay ahead of this virus. Sometimes in a race you can use certain tactics at a certain time. Right now, we're well behind the virus in Europe," Ryan told a virtual briefing.

"So getting ahead of it will take some serious acceleration in what we do and maybe a much more comprehensive nature of measures that are going to be needed to catch up with and get ahead of this virus," he added.

Contact tracing is one of key areas where Europe should immediately step up its efforts.

"We are seeing large number of cases, we are seeing widespread disease, we are seeing very, very high positivity rates and an increasing lack of capacity to do any effective form of contact tracing, which is further going to drive the disease into the darkness where we don't see [it]," the WHO official stressed.

The fall brought a resurgence of the coronavirus in countries across Europe, most of which are currently reporting all-time records in terms of daily COVID-19 cases.

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