WHO calls on EU for Coronavirus pandemic preparedness

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) regional Director in Europe, Hans Kluge has called on European countries to be in a “phase of preparedness” for a Coronavirus “pandemic”, as the number of confirmed cases of the disease is constantly growing in Europe.
Speaking at a news conference in Rome, Kluge called the public to be alert and the media across the bloc to present accurate information related to the spread of the virus, as misinformation leads to unnecessary “panic”.
The press conference, that was held in Italy’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, also hosted the country’s Health Minister Roberto Speranza, EU Commission’s Health Chief, Stella Kyriakides, and Andrea Ammon, Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
“Viruses don’t know borders and they don’t stop at them,” Speranza said, without referring to the possibility of tougher border controls.
Kluge also slammed the anti-vaccine movement across the bloc and encouraged EU citizens to vaccine their children, to protect them from the seasonal flu, whose death rate so far is way more increased.
As WHO has yet to declare COVID-19 a “pandemic,” experts from the organisation have stated that the European bloc is not ready for such a severe situation.
According to WHO announcement, 481 confirmed cases have been recorded in Europe and the death toll number to 14 people. In the past 24 hours, seven countries in the European continent reported their first cases; Estonia, Greece, Denmark, Norway, Georgia, North Macedonia, and Romania.