Read on Twitter
This tweet has gotten a lot of attention and been used by right-wing conspiracy theorists to suggest that China and the WHO were misleading or lying to the world about the severity of coronavirus.
In this short thread I'm going to clarify why that isn't the case:
In this short thread I'm going to clarify why that isn't the case:
First, the tweet is mistakenly worded. During a Jan 14 press briefing (which the tweet is referring to) and when there were only 41 cases, the WHO stated there had been "limited human-to-human transmission" thus far and warned hospitals worldwide prepare for a wider outbreak.
The WHO also announced on January 14 that it had issued a guidance to hospitals worldwide to be prepared for infection control and a possible "super-spreading" event. https://www.reuters.com/article/china-health-pneumonia-who/who-says-new-china-virus-could-spread-its-warning-all-hospitals-idUSL8N29F48F
The designation of "limited human-to-human transmission" refers to instances in which a virus dies out after infecting a person or a few people in clusters of people who are in close contact with each other, such as in a family or a work setting. http://statnews.com/2020/01/21/who-raises-possibility-of-sustained-human-to-human-transmission-of-new-virus-in-china/
International outbreaks of other diseases such as bird flu viruses (ex: H5N1) or MERS — Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome — have been relegated to limited human-to-human transmission.
H5N1: https://www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/h5n1phase/en/
MERS: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/middle-east-respiratory-syndrome-coronavirus-(mers-cov)
H5N1: https://www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/h5n1phase/en/
MERS: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/middle-east-respiratory-syndrome-coronavirus-(mers-cov)
The designation of "limited" is in contrast to "sustained human-to-human transmission", which the WHO’s defines as transmitting easily from one person to the next and then further onward — in the way that flu or other established human viruses work. https://www.statnews.com/2020/01/21/who-raises-possibility-of-sustained-human-to-human-transmission-of-new-virus-in-china/
On January 14 there had only been 41 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in China, all of them in the city of Wuhan and mainly through exposure to a local seafood market. The degree of transmissibility of the virus was still unclear at this time. https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/08-04-2020-who-timeline---covid-19
Less than a week later, on January 20, the WHO's Pacific Regional Office (which covers China and other countries in the region) announced that new evidence indicated there may be sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus https://twitter.com/WHOWPRO/status/1219478547644813312
And on Jan 23, the Chinese government implemented a lockdown in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province to contain the spread of the virus.
The West of course immediately demonized China for the lockdown which was labeled "draconian" and "authoritarian". https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/01/27/chinas-coronavirus-lockdown-brought-you-by-authoritarianism/
The West of course immediately demonized China for the lockdown which was labeled "draconian" and "authoritarian". https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/01/27/chinas-coronavirus-lockdown-brought-you-by-authoritarianism/
So what, we're supposed to believe that China colluded with the WHO to mislead the world about the severity of coronavirus to buy... less than a week of good PR?
And then abandoned its concern for PR by implementing extremely strict lockdown measures which it was demonized for?
And then abandoned its concern for PR by implementing extremely strict lockdown measures which it was demonized for?
