News and Commentary

Associated Press Points Out One Positive Note Amid Coronavirus Fears

   DailyWire.com
Associated Press sign is seen in Warsaw, Poland on 10 November, 2016.
Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

On Thursday, The Associated Press ran a story titled, “Most coronavirus patients recover, still anxiety, fear loom,” that offered some comfort to people who are terrified about the coronavirus, noting, “more than 60,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus spreading around the globe.”

AP acknowledged the virus “is especially troublesome for older adults and people with existing health problems … but for most of those affected, coronavirus creates only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, with the vast majority recovering from the virus.”

AP noted, “According to the World Health Organization (WHO), people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe ailments may take three to six weeks to rebound.”

AP spoke to various people who had suffered from the virus, including 89-year-old Eugene Campbell, who had been living at the Life Care Center nursing home in Kirkland where a number of people died. His son told AP that his father’s vital signs and heart rate are good, adding, “He may be the oldest person to recover from coronavirus.”

AP interviewed a few passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined off Japan who said their symptoms were no worse than a regular cold or flu. One man said, “If I was home, I would be out doing everything I normally do.”

AP pointed out, “For some who’ve been quarantined, anxiety and dread that they will become stigmatized by friends, neighbors and co-workers have made them reluctant to acknowledge even the most modest health impact.”

On Thursday, the director of the World Health Organization stated the organization’s reason for declaring a pandemic:

We have made this assessment for two main reasons: first, because of the speed and scale of transmission. Almost 125,000 cases have now been reported to WHO, from 118 countries and territories. In the past two weeks, the number of cases reported outside China has increased almost 13-fold, and the number of affected countries has almost tripled.

The second reason is that despite our frequent warnings, we are deeply concerned that some countries are not approaching this threat with the level of political commitment needed to control it.

Let me be clear: describing this as a pandemic does not mean that countries should give up. The idea that countries should shift from containment to mitigation is wrong and dangerous. On the contrary, we have to double down.

He noted, “This is a controllable pandemic. Countries that decide to give up on fundamental public health measures may end up with a larger problem, and a heavier burden on the health system that requires more severe measures to control.”

He added, “We’re working with the World Economic Forum and the International Chambers of Commerce to engage the private sector. We’re also working with FIFA. We’re working with our colleagues across the UN system to support countries to develop their preparedness and response plans, according to the 8 pillars. And more than 440 million U.S. dollars has now been pledged to WHO’s Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan.”

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