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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider WHO admits worldwide shortage of protective gear in fight against nCoV

WHO admits worldwide shortage of protective gear in fight against nCoV

Published Feb 7, 2020 12:00 am
By Jeffrey Damicog The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday (Feb. 7) admitted there is a worldwide shortage of personal protective equipment in dealing with the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has convened WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (AFP Photo/TED ALJIBE / MANILA BULLETIN) WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pointed this out in his Executive Board briefing report that is also posted in the WHO website. "We are sending testing kits, masks, gloves, respirators, and gowns to countries in every region,” he said. “However, the world is facing a chronic shortage of personal protective equipment, as you might imagine." To address this problem, Ghebreyesus said he will be speaking to the “pandemic supply chain network to identify the bottlenecks and find solutions, and push (for) fairness in distribution of equipment.” "We are also mobilizing the full power of the UN (United Nations) system to respond to the 2019-nCoV emergency,” he said. “We’re bringing together partners to identify capacity and gaps, and who is best positioned to fill those gaps." Recently, Ghebreyesus said the world needs $675 million for the next three months to invest in preventing the 2019-nCoV outbreak. "So far we have received pledges for $110 million. Several donors have already come forward, and we are expecting more announcements in the coming days," he said.
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