RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization (W.H.O.), said predicting when the pandemic will peak in a country is “very difficult” because it hinges on the measures adopted to tackle the issue. The statement was made during a press conference after he was asked if it is possible to estimate when the disease will peak in Brazil.
Ryan said the virus “exploits” weaknesses in nations, such as the lack of adequate information. “There are no magical answers,” he said, adding that action is needed “at all levels” to address the problem. “Look at countries that have contained the disease,” he recommended.
In any event, Ryan also commented during the press conference that natural factors can interfere with the length of a pandemic, as well as issues such as connections within the country, which may or may not expedite the spread of the disease.
Speaking about the bigger picture, Ryan recalled that there is a surge in cases also in other countries outside the Americas, such as Russia. “I would say that the disease is under control in Western Europe; it’s certainly not under general control in Central and South America,” he said.
Source: Estadão Conteúdo