Virus declared pandemic

Closer cooperation needed to fight COVID-19

The World Health Organization declared the global coronavirus outbreak a pandemic Wednesday. The declaration is somewhat belated but inevitable considering the new virus' rapid spread throughout the world. It should serve as a clear warning against COVID-19 that calls for more aggressive and intensive action to contain the highly contagious virus.

The pandemic declaration marked the third time for the U.N. health agency to raise its health alarm to the highest level. The two previous cases were the new H1N1 flu strain in 2009 and the 1968 flu pandemic also known as the Hong Kong flu. This means that it has been rare for the WHO to describe any virus outbreak as a pandemic. Yet, the agency has had no reason to hesitate sounding the highest alarm when it is necessary to fight an epidemic sweeping the globe.

The move comes a long time after the first case of the novel coronavirus was reported in Wuhan, the capital of China's central Hubei Province, Dec. 30. The WHO classified the outbreak as a global public health emergency Jan. 30. The number of confirmed infections has since soared to 124,000 in 118 countries with over 4,600 fatalities. China, the epicenter of the outbreak, has reported more than 81,000 cases and over 3,000 deaths.

The number of daily new infections has recently sharply declined in China. But COVID-19 has been spreading at an alarming rate across the world, especially in Europe and the Middle East. A 13-fold increase was reported in the number of cases outside China in the past two weeks. Italy and Iran have recorded 12,462 cases and 9,000 cases, respectively, with their death tolls rising to 827 and 354. They have emerged as the new virus hotspots.

Against this backdrop, the pandemic declaration is seen as a clear message that all countries, particularly the worst-hit ones, must do their utmost to bring the spreading virus under control. The term "pandemic" should not be used as an excuse for any country to give up fighting the coronavirus. That's why WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the agency has rung the alarm bell loud and clear.

"We are deeply concerned both by the alarming level of spread and severity and by the alarming level of inaction," Tedros told reporters in Geneva. He added, "We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic." He stressed that all countries can still change the course of the pandemic if they detect, test, treat, isolate, trace and mobilize their people in response.

However, the WHO cannot deflect criticism that it has been too slow to take timely and appropriate action to help countries prevent and contain the new coronavirus. Some critics had denounced the WHO for trying to curry favor with China which has contributed huge sums to the agency. Besides, the WHO had given the impression that it hesitated to use the word "pandemic" in order not to stir excessive and irrational fears about the virus.

Now, countries the world over should step up their cooperation in battling COVID-19. They should double down on their efforts to better protect people from the worsening health crisis by sharing information about the virus, including treatment know-how and effective use of limited resources.