Strong WHO Support and Assistance

Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, the WHO has been highly concerned with the epidemic. It has not only given understanding, support and affirmation to China's prevention and control efforts, but also fully cooperated with China on the fight against the epidemic.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited China on January 28 to investigate the COVID-19 epidemic. An advance team of WHO international experts led by Canadian epidemiologist and emergency expert Dr. Bruce Aylward arrived in China on February 10 to work with their Chinese counterparts. 

On February 16, the WHO-China Joint Mission on COVID-19 began to work by visiting Beijing and the provinces of Guangdong, Sichuan and Hubei respectively. After conducting field investigation, asking about epidemic and treatment situation, and learning from Chinese experience in epidemic prevention and control, they carried out technical exchanges and deepened mutual trust and cooperation. 

At the press conference the joint team held in Beijing on February 24, Dr. Bruce Aylward noted that China's unprecedented public health responses to the COVID-19 outbreak have yielded notable results in controlling human-to-human transmission of the virus, and "averted and probably prevented at least tens of thousands even hundreds of thousands, of cases." China is taking prudent, phased and orderly steps to gradually restore order in social, economic, education and healthcare sectors, and other countries should swiftly reassess the measures taken toward China. He also said the world needs to learn from China's experience and recognize what the people of Wuhan have done to the world, and the world is in their debt. With the disease finishes, he said, he hopes he has the chance to thank the people of Wuhan on behalf of the world again.

In response to the fake news and stigmatization emerging amid the epidemic, the WHO has made judges based on science and evidence, tried to communicate with and coordinate mainstream information channels, actively clarified the actual situations, constantly called for all parties to stick to the truth, boycott rumors, maintain confidence and strengthen cooperation, and ensured the public have access to authoritative information. 

Statistics models provided by some WHO experts showed that China's measures on movement restriction have delayed the dissemination of the outbreak two or three days within China and two or three weeks outside China. 

The WHO has spoken positively of and fully affirmed China's efforts to contain the novel coronavirus. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the quick speed and massive scale of China's response to coronavirus is rarely seen in the world and shows the advantages of China's system. He called for other countries to emulate China's experience. China's large-scale prevention and control action has brought time for the world and made the world safer. Moreover, WHO officials and experts including Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Bruce Aylward have expressed commendation, respect and appreciation to China's medical professionals on many occasions.

世界衛生組織大力支持和幫助

新冠肺炎疫情發生以來，世界衛生組織高度關注，不僅對中國疫情防控工作給予理解、支持和肯定，還積極同中國展開合作，全力幫助中國抗擊疫情。

2020年1月28日，世界衛生組織總干事譚德塞訪問中國，考察新冠肺炎疫情。2月10日，由加拿大流行病學專家和應急專家布魯斯-艾爾沃德率領的世衛組織國際專家組首批成員抵達中國，與中國同行一起工作。2月16日，中國—世界衛生組織新型冠狀病毒肺炎聯合專家考察組正式開展工作，分別前往北京市、廣東省、四川省和湖北省開展現場調研，了解疫情形勢和救治情況，學習中國防控經驗，開展技術交流，深化互信合作。2月24日，聯合專家考察組在北京舉行新聞發布會，外方組長布魯斯-艾爾沃德指出，中國采取了前所未有的公共衛生應對措施，在阻斷病毒人際傳播、減緩疫情擴散蔓延方面取得明顯效果，已經避免或推遲了至少數十萬新冠肺炎病例。中國正在采取謹慎、分階段、有序的方式，逐步恢復社會、經濟、教育和醫療等各部門的正常秩序，其他國家應迅速重新評估對中國采取的措施。他表示，世界需要學習中國的經驗，要認識到武漢人民所做出的貢獻，世界虧欠他們，當這場疫情過去的時候，希望有機會能代表世界再一次感謝武漢人民。

針對疫情期間一些別有用心的假消息、污名化言行，世衛組織堅持以科學和事實為依據作出判斷，努力溝通協調主流信息渠道，積極澄清真相，不斷呼吁各方堅持真理、抵制謠言、保持信心、加強合作，確保民眾得到權威信息。據世衛組織部分合作專家提供的數據模型顯示，中國采取的控制人員流動等措施讓中國境內的疫情傳播速度延緩了兩到三天，讓中國境外的疫情傳播速度延緩了兩到三周。世衛組織積極評價并充分肯定中國抗擊疫情的努力，總干事譚德塞表示，中方行動之快、規模之大，世所罕見；這是中國制度的優勢，有關經驗值得其他國家借鑒；中國所采取的大規模防控行動為世界爭取了時間，讓世界更加安全。此外，包括譚德塞、艾爾沃德在內的世衛組織官員和專家還多次表達了對中國醫護人員的肯定、敬意和感謝。