In an interview with Real Story, World Health Organization representative Raul Gonzales Montero spoke about the situation of coronavirus in the country. He stressed that besides the measures taken by the government and the WHO, it is very important how people will interact, as prevention of coronavirus requires cooperation with citizens.
"Things need to be analyzed after some time, after things have evolved a bit. Broadcasting happens because people interact. We have to wait a while longer to see how things are going. WHO has the capacity to intervene at this stage of the disease. The government and the WHO are here to stop the spread of the virus. It also matters how people act, as the government advises them to do. People should not meet each other by hand, nor hug, not many people indoors. [...] We are all concerned about what is happening in Italy. In Italy the system is flooded, and in some parts of Spain the system is also flooded. Closing schools may have been a good move. There are some essential measures to be taken, your hands to be washed. Avoid going to cult objects etc. ?
Avoiding popular venues, such as cafes, is important, as as Gonzales pointed out, no place has been prepared for the worst-case scenario.
?No country in the world is prepared to face the worst-case scenario. Neither China nor the US nor Canada. The capacity of countries is being challenged by the number of cases. Is the Italian system strong enough? We can say yes. Is the Spanish system strong? Yes. No country is prepared for the worst-case scenario. Countries should take early measures to avoid the worst-case scenarios. There is no place in the world that can face a mass infection, not even China. "
Following the interview, the WHO representative also focused on the comparison between South Korea and Italy, two countries where the number of infected was initially the same, and then South Korea managed to manage the situation on time, unlike Italy where the number of those affected increased significantly.
?We don't know yet. We have an important mission in Italy that is releasing a report that will be available in the coming days, as we have with China. It should be understood that even in developed countries the dynamics of infection may be different. It can affect different age groups, areas where health facilities are different. In South Korea and Italy we have a similar figure of affected people. We do not know yet why the death toll is higher. ?
Concerning the vaccine, he stated:
?We should not panic. That's because panic is the worst thing. We need time to get the vaccine. We need time because the vaccine will not be available immediately. It will take about a year for it to be available. It will take time and time for us to implement distance measures. Certain viruses may take 10 years, but this virus will take a year. Measures should therefore be taken to interrupt transmission. We can't eradicate it, all we need is to interrupt the broadcast. We will also create antivirals. ?
