Covid-19 Can Kill You, WHO DG Tells Young People

Tedros Ghebreyesu, director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), says COVID-19 can kill young people, as they are not invincible to it.

Ghebreyesus said this at a media briefing on Friday, adding that data from countries show that a large number of patients requiring hospitalisation are people under the age of 50.

He said, “Today, I have a message for young people; you are not invincible. This coronavirus could put you in hospital for weeks, or even kill you.”

“Even, if you don’t get sick, the choices you make about where you go could be the difference between life and death for someone else.

“I’m grateful that so many young people are spreading the word and not the virus.

“Solidarity is the key to defeating COVID-19, solidarity among countries, but also between age groups. Thank you for heeding our call for solidarity.”

“This is an area of key concern for us. We have now identified some producers in China who have agreed to supply WHO.

“We’re currently finalising the arrangements and coordinating shipments so we can refill our warehouse to ship personal protective equipment to whoever needs it most.

“Our aim is to build a pipeline to ensure continuity of supply, with support from our partners, governments and the private sector,” Ghebreyesus said.

Ghebreyesu added that WHO is working actively to support all countries and called for caution among people.

“Every loss of life is a tragedy. It’s also motivation to double down and do everything we can to stop transmission and save lives,” he said.

“Yesterday, Wuhan, China, reported no new cases for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak started.

“Wuhan provides hope for the rest of the world, that even the most severe situation can be turned around.”