Easing Lockdowns Demands Extra Vigilance

WHO urges Asian countries to strengthen health care system as the pandemic is 'far from over'

- Jessica Pag-Iwayan

For almost half a year now since the first Covid-19 case was confirmed in Hubei, China back in December 2019, more than 4.71 million cases have been confirmed around the globe, with 315,000 deaths.

To protect their people and to prevent the further spread of the disease, governments around the world have imposed lockdowns. This strategy has proven to be effective in helping flatten the curve, but is it enough for people to feel safe and for their governments to ease lockdown rules?

Large scale transmission

In a recently held World Economic Forum and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) inaugural Asia media briefing, Dr. Takeshi Kasai, regional director for WHO Western Pacific, said that while countries in the Asia Pacific were in different stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, everyone should be ready for “large scale community transmission.”

“In the western Pacific regions, we have more than 164,000 confirmed cases, and around 66,000 people have lost their lives. Countries and areas across our regions are at different stages of the pandemic,” he said. “We are conscious that the pandemic is far from over. And countries should continue to prepare for a large-scale community transmission by engaging communities and strengthening healthcare capacities.”