The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the Covid-19 is at least 10 times deadlier than the Swine Flu virus.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned the governments not to get panic over lockdowns and take strict measures to flatten the Covid-19 curve, “We know that Covid-19 spreads fast, and we know that it is deadly, 10 times more deadly than the 2009 flu pandemic.”
The 2009 Swine Flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic that lasted from January 2009 to August 2010, and the second of the two pandemics involving the H1N1 influenza virus, albeit a new strain. It killed 18,036 people besides infecting 6,04,446 others globally. “This pandemic is much more than a health crisis,” said the WHO chief.
As some of the European countries have become the hotspot hit by the Covid-19 pandemic are starting to see signs of slowing in infections, the WHO gave warning against lifting restrictions too soon, saying it could lead to a deadly resurgence of Covid-19.
WHO Director-General said that the, “In the past week, we’ve seen a welcome slowing in some of the hardest-hit countries in Europe like Spain, Italy, Germany and France,” As “some countries are already planning the transition out of stay-at-home restrictions,” the WHO chief warned that “lifting restrictions too quickly could lead to a deadly resurgence.”
“The way down can be as dangerous as the way up if not managed properly,” he said, underlining that the WHO is working with the affected countries on strategies for gradually and safely easing the restrictions.
