WHO Official Explains Why Coronavirus Hasn’t Been Called a Pandemic

Dr. Michael Ryan, a top World Health Organization (WHO) official, revealed why the organization is not classifying the COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic.

“I think we need to be extremely cautious in using the term ‘pandemic.’ We had lots of controversies during the H1N1 situation, around when it was pandemic and when it wasn’t pandemic, and I think we need to be careful,” he said, referring to the swine flu virus.

A pandemic, Ryan suggested, would have to entail “efficient community transmission outside of China,” where COVID-19, or the Novel Coronavirus, is believed to have originated. He is the executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Program.

“At the present time, we’re not observing that. And as such, we’re not in a position to have that discussion. What we’re seeing is, again, as we’ve said previously, the majority of cases outside China have a direct link still back to China,” Ryan said in a news conference on Monday.

It’s important for his organization not to create “fear in the world” by labeling the outbreak as a pandemic, according to the official.

“We’ve said that the risk is very high in China, it’s high regionally and it’s high around the world. That is not, ‘the risk is high of a pandemic.’ The risk is high that the disease may spread further, and I think at face value, that is true,” Ryan remarked.

A day earlier, Dr. Michael Fauci of the U.S. National Institutes of Health said the outbreak of COVID-19 is on the brink of becoming a pandemic.

Sounds like word salad to me.

A pandemic is defined as an epidemic that occurs on several continents and/or several countries. Maybe that’s what he is trying to say, but maybe he could try to explain what he really means. It may not be a pandemic yet but it looks like we’re gonna find out pretty quick one way or another.

Just addressing the numbers outside China: (at this moment)

Global infection numbers: 896

Infections on Diamond Princess (D.P.): 454

D. P. infections compared to total Outside China figure: 50.67%

Cases outside China, not including the D.P. figures: 442

Growth of Outside China Figures not including the D.P. numbers.

15th: 6.37%
16th: 6.73%
17th: 3.27% (still accruing)

Growth including D.P. numbers:

15th: 27.06%
16th: 03.57%
17th: 14.43% still accruing)

Five deaths have occurred outside of Mainland China.

Three of fifteen cases in the U. S. have been declared recovered,
and there have been no deaths.

More or less. If it is not widespread and in large numbers outside of China, it is by definition not a global pandemic.

That doesn’t mean it can’t become one, but it isn’t yet.

Or how to pass a camel through the eye of a needle?

WHO is pretty low on the list of UN organizations that I find credible. And since I find most of what comes out of the UN to be untrustworthy, I will glean my info about this from other sources.

A friend once said “when everyone is out to get you, paranoid is just good thinking”. Not sure if that applies here, but skepticism is rule number one.

In the case of this virus and the reporting, it is damn difficult to trust anyone since most of the info is coming from sources that are known liars. We’d be better off reading sheep’s entrails.

Or, looking at it another way, consider what various governments and organizations are telling us in view of what benefits them. Because they are looking out for number one. And you, my friends, are definitely not number one.

“At the present time...

Bring Out Your Dead

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

If a quarantine saves just one child's life, it's worth it.

>>would have to entail “efficient community transmission outside of China,”

it has clearly spread.

it has bn limited in other outbreaks no thanks to chi-coms’ coverup.

That’s true, but I am surprised by some of the more-like third world nations and how they have kept their numbers relatively under control.

That may be related to adequate means of confirmation too.

I don’t know.

Not trying to downplay this dangerous virus and it’s potential, but typically, an epidemic is defined as widespread and infecting a significant portion of a population at the same time. The CDC is holding this years flu season just below “epidemic level” in the USA, and it has infected Americans in numbers orders of magnitude above the number of Chinese infected by COVID-2019. Even in China, this virus is still at the “outbreak” level. The Chinese are desperately trying to avoid an epidemic, and the world is nowhere near pandemic. Not that it cant happen over the next few months or years, but there is a wide gap between pandemic and where we are now.

Or maybe some of the “third-world” places, are increasingly becoming second world places.

And China itself is becoming first-world.

Just saying.

Yeah a billion Chinese are in forced isolation and 4 more countries are close to being cut off from international travel ( including Japan)

And the virus is airborne, as infectious as the common cold, and healthcare can offer no cure, just supportive care

But we must be cautious about calling this a pandemic

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