WHO Covid-19 Events Summary
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/events-as-they-happen
Pneumonia of unknown cause reported to WHO China Office
31 December 2019
At the close of 2019, the WHO China Country Office was informed of a pneumonia of unknown cause, detected in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province, China. According to the authorities, some patients were operating dealers or vendors in the Huanan Seafood market.
Staying in close contact with national authorities, WHO began monitoring the situation and requested further information on the laboratory tests performed and the different diagnoses considered.
WHO responding to a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan
4 January 2020
WHO announced it would work across its 3 levels – country office, regional office and HQ – to track the situation and share details as they emerged.
twitter post: https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1213523866703814656
WHO reports on pneumonia of unknown cause in China
5 January 2020
WHO published its risk assessment and advice and reported on the status of patients and the public health response by national authorities to the cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan.
WHO issues its first guidance on the novel coronavirus
10 January 2020
Developed with reference to other coronaviruses, such as SARS and MERS, WHO issued a tool for countries to check their ability to detect and respond to a novel coronavirus.
This information is to help with identifying main gaps, assessing risks and planning for additional investigations, response and control actions.
China makes genome sequencing of novel coronavirus publicly available
12 January 2020
China shares the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus, which will be very important for other countries as they develop specific diagnostic kits.
twitter post: https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1217151178884222976
WHO makes field visit to Wuhan, China
21 January 2020
The delegation observed and discussed active surveillance processes, temperature screening at Wuhan Tianhe airport, laboratory facilities, infection prevention and control measures at Zhongnan hospital and its associated fever clinics, and the deployment of a test kit to detect the virus.
The delegation also discussed public communication efforts and China's plan to expand the case definition for the novel coronavirus, which will build a clearer picture of the spectrum of severity of the virus.
At the end of the visit, the Chinese Government released the primers and probes used in the test kit for the novel coronavirus to help other countries detect it. Chinese experts also shared a range of protocols that will be used in developing international guidelines, including case definitions, clinical management protocols and infection control.
First meeting of Emergency Committee regarding the novel coronavirus outbreak
23 January 2020 [ WHO typo below 22-23 January ]
On 22-23 February, the WHO Director General convened the Emergency Committee to consider the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China, with cases also reported in the Republic of Korea, Japan, Thailand and Singapore.
Several Committee members considered it still too early to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), given its restrictive and binary nature. Among other recommendations, the Committee advised that it be recalled in approximately 10 days.
Launch of free online introductory course on the novel coronavirus
25 January 2020
Covering topics such as why the novel coronavirus is a global threat to human health and how to effectively engage communities in the response, this free online course gives an introduction to the novel coronavirus. It is available for free and online in English, French, Spanish and Chinese.
Video link: video deleted on vimeo but plays on the WHO page
WHO and China leaders meet in Beijing to discuss coronavirus outbreak
28 January 2020
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus met with China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing about the coronavirus outbreak.
Dr Tedros was joined by WHO Regional Director Dr Takeshi Kasai and Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme Dr Mike Ryan, and also met State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi and Minister of Health Ma Xiaowei.
The discussions focused on continued collaboration on containment measures in Wuhan, public health measures in other cities and provinces, conducting further studies on the severity and transmissibility of
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