Switzerland

17 May 2020; AFP: Spraying disinfectant on the streets, as practiced in some countries, does not eliminate the new coronavirus and even poses a health risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Saturday.

In a document on cleaning and disinfecting surfaces as part of the response to the virus, the WHO says spraying can be ineffective.

16 May 2020; AFP: As the World Health Organization prepares to host its main annual meeting next week, fears abound that US-China tensions could hamper the strong action needed to address the COVID-19 crisis.

The UN health agency, which for months has been consumed by the towering task of trying to coordinate a global response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, will for the first time invite health ministers and other dignitaries to participate virtually in its annual meet.

GENEVA, May 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — World leaders past and present insisted that any eventual COVID-19 vaccines and treatments should be made available to everyone, free of charge.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan were among more than 140 signatories of a letter saying any vaccine should not be patented while the science should be shared between nations.

The World Health Assembly, the policy-setting body of the UN’s World Health Organization, holds its annual general meeting next week.

GENEVA (AP) — The head of the World Trade Organization said Thursday that he will leave his post a year early, a “personal decision” that sets the stage for a succession contest at the trade body amid lingering U.S.-China tensions and a coronavirus pandemic that has doused the global economy.

GENEVA, May 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Pinning down the source of the coronavirus pandemic should help in working out how COVID-19 has “invaded the human species” so quickly, a senior WHO official said.

The outbreak has triggered a fierce diplomatic spat between China and the United States — with the World Health Organization at the centre of the row.

In late March, US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping struck an informal truce in the war of words over the origin of the deadly disease.

GENEVA, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Officials of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that it is hard to predict when the pandemic will be over, but countries should stay positive and collaborate closely.

"We have a new virus entering the human population for the first time, and therefore it is very hard to predict when we will prevail over it." Dr Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said on Wednesday at a press conference in Geneva.

GENEVA, May 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 1,000 people queued up to get free food parcels in Geneva, underscoring the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on the working poor and undocumented immigrants even in wealthy Switzerland.

The line of people stretched for more than 1km outside an ice rink where volunteers were handing out around 1,500 parcels to people who started queuing as early as 5am.

GENEVA, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that smoking does not protect people against COVID-19. On the contrary, smokers who get infected have a higher risk of severe disease and death.

Responding to a question that "some scientists have found that cigarette smokers are less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19," epidemiologist Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead on COVID-19 response at the WHO Health Emergencies Program, said at a press conference that this statement is simply not true.

BRAZZAVILLE, May 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Up to 190,000 people in Africa could die of coronavirus in the first year of the pandemic if containment measures fail, the World Health Organisation warned.

The UN health agency cited a new study by its regional office in Brazzaville which found that between 83,000 and 190,000 could die and 29 to 44 million be infected during the period.

The research is based on prediction modelling and covers 47 countries with a total population of one billion, the WHO said in a statement.

GENEVA, May 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Many thousands of migrants have been left stranded by the coronavirus pandemic, unable to move due to lockdowns and border closures around the globe, the United Nations said.

The UN’s International Organization for Migration said in southeast Asia, east Africa and Latin America, many were attempting to return to their countries of origin but were unable to do so.

Migrant camps were “very prone” to spreading the disease, IOM Director General Antonio Vitorino told reporters in an online briefing.