WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said the five million cases mark would be a “tragic milestone”
The World Health Organization said Wednesday it had registered a new daily record number of COVID-19 cases as it quickly neared the “tragic milestone” of five million total infections.
The UN agency’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that on Tuesday, there were “106,000 cases reported to WHO — the most in a single day since the outbreak began” in December.
The WHO was also getting to grips with U.S. President Donald Trump’s reform ultimatum, giving the organisation 30 days to overhaul its operations otherwise its biggest contributor would freeze its funding and consider pulling out altogether.
The United States is the biggest contributor to the WHO’s budget and has already suspended funding, accusing the organisation of severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the virus.
Pressed on the ultimatum, Tedros said only: “We have received the letter and we are looking into it.”
The WHO agreed that an “impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation” of “the actions of WHO and their timelines pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic” should be conducted at the “earliest possible moment”.
Asked Wednesday when that might be, Tedros said: “When all the conditions we need are actually met”.
Hydroxychloroquine advice
Trump on Monday made the surprise announcement that he is taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug that his own government experts say is not suitable for fighting the novel coronavirus.
And Brazil’s health ministry recommended Wednesday using chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to treat even mild cases of COVID-19 — treatments President Jair Bolsonaro has pushed for despite the lack of conclusive evidence of their effectiveness.
The WHO’s Ryan stressed: “Hydroxychloroquine nor chloroquine have been, as yet, found to be effective in the treatment of COVID-19 — or in the prophylaxis against coming down with the disease.”
The two drugs are among a handful involved in WHO-coordinated clinical trials to find effective treatments for the disease. Some 3,000 patients are taking part in the trials in 320 hospitals across 17 countries.
“As WHO, we would advise that for COVID-19, that these drugs be reserved for use within such trials,” said Ryan.
