The WHO’s response to COVID-19, Successes and Failures

grey area, a lesson to be learned is that there needs to be communication between the public and the government.

By Humza Ahmad, Year 10 North London Collegiate Dubai

On the 31st of December 2019 the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission made a public announcement on cases of ‘viral pneumonia’ in Wuhan, People's Republic of China, catching the attention of the WHO, who immediately requested information on the reported cases from the Chinese authorities. This request was accepted on the 3rd of January when Chinese officials provided information on the cluster of unknown cases. The case developed when, on the 10th of January, the WHO reported that the Chinese authorities have correctly determined that this new outbreak was caused by the coronavirus and later became a worldwide pandemic. Many people currently criticise the response and effectiveness of the WHO in reacting to the outbreak of coronavirus due to a number of factors, namely misinformation spread about the virus as well as acting at a remarkably slow speed, causing the deaths of many individuals and an astronomical increase in the number of cases during this period.

However, alongside criticisms of the WHO’s response, many people chose to praise the organisation, taking on advice needed to attempt to sedate the virus, as well as the resources they provided while doing so.

It is widely accepted that the WHO quickly acted upon this new virus by informing countries across the world on prevention, surveillance, containment, treatment, coordination among other factors. Whilst being criticised for its slow reaction, it is undeniable that they provided useful documents and videos, spreading information through social media platforms such as Twitter and various other public announcements that undoubtedly equipped people with knowledge and some understanding on this deadly virus.

The WHO worked with health workers, attempting to prevent them from catching the virus while being able to recognise symptoms and provide treatment to those in need. Alongside this information, the WHO supplied countries with over 101 million masks and shipped personal protective equipment to over 172 countries, aiding the prevention of the spread of COVID-19. With the limited information available to them and the constant pressure for them to understand and combat this virus, many believe their efforts to be adequate.

Others suggest that the spread of misinformation by the WHO was inexcusable, as they initially announced the outbreak of the virus as ‘pneumonia’ and not the coronavirus. They were also late to advise people to begin wearing masks, an official statement came out in early June. However, early June is when the COVID-19 was known to be spread as a droplet infection, therefore making masks necessary.

Furthermore, the US Department of Health was quick to criticise the WHO, suggesting that the use of masks was not necessary, then choosing to reverse their decision. Being a highly polarised and influential nation, the United States had the ability to create trends, and if the WHO had been stronger at the outset of declaring this 45