Coronavirus epidemic 'far from over' in Asia-Pacific, WHO official warns

The coronavirus epidemic is “far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region, while the measures that are taken to stem the spread of the virus are buying time for countries to prepare for large-scale community transmissions, Takeshi Kasai, regional director for the western Pacific at the World Health Organization (WHO) said. 
Speaking in a virtual press briefing, the WHO official said that despite the current measures, the risk of transmission in the region will remain as long as the pandemic continues. ‘‘The epidemic is far from over in Asia and the Pacific. This is going to be a long-term battle and we cannot let down our guard,’’ he stated.
Kasai urged all countries to keep preparing for large-scale community transmission while calling on countries that have seen a decline in coronavirus cases not to let down their guard otherwise they would risk having another rise in infections. 
The warnings came as the number of confirmed cases around the globe surpassed 805,400, with the USA, Italy and Spain being the worst-hit countries in infections. China, where the virus originated, comes fourth while it is gradually returning to normal life after months of tough restrictions to stem the spread of the COVID-19. 
In parallel, The World Bank warned that the pandemic’s fallout could drive 11 million more people in east Asia into poverty, while China’s growth could come to a standstill. Aaditya Mattoo, World Bank chief economist for East Asia and the Pacific, said that the coronavirus outbreak is causing ‘‘an unprecedented global shock, which could bring growth to a halt and could increase poverty across the region.’’
Even in the best-case scenario, the region could see a sharp drop in growth, with China’s expansion slowing to 2.3% from 6.1% in 2019, the World Bank’s report said.