Coronavirus: WHO chief praises successful efforts at containment of virus in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum

The World Health Organisation (WHO) praised the efforts taken to contain the coronavirus in Mumbai's Dharavi while saying that only aggressive action combined with national unity and global solidarity can turn this pandemic around.

Medical volunteers wearing personal protective equipment take a temperature reading of a woman as they conduct a door-to-door medical screening inside Dharavi slum, in Mumbai on July 9. | Punit Paranjpe/AFP

"There are many examples from around the world that have shown that even if the outbreak is very intense, it can still be brought back under control," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO DG. "And some of these examples are Italy, Spain, and South Korea, and even in Dharavi - a densely packed area in the megacity of Mumbai - a strong focus on community engagement and the basics of testing, tracing, isolating and treating all those that are sick is key to breaking the chains of transmission and suppressing the virus," the UN Health Body Chief.

The WHO DG emphasized the need for leadership, community participation, and collective solidarity.

The tally of coronavirus cases in Mumbai rose to 88,795 on Thursday with 1,282 new patients being reported, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

But Ghebreyesus also lamented that worldwide, the number of coronavirus cases had more than doubled in six weeks. As of Saturday morning, the world had recorded over 1.24 crore cases, including more than 5.59 lakh deaths.

He called for “aggressive action combined with national unity and global solidarity” to bring the pandemic under control. “There’s a lot of work still to be done,” he said. “From countries where there is exponential growth, to places that are loosening restrictions and now starting to see cases rise.”

WHO still says more research needed to prove airborne spread

Meanwhile, WHO released new guidelines acknowledging some reports on the airborne transmission of the coronavirus, but said that more research is “urgently needed to investigate such instances and assess their significance for transmission of Covid-19”, Reuters reported. The WHO said the coronavirus spreads through contact with contaminated surfaces or close contact with infected people who spread the virus through saliva, respiratory secretions or droplets released when a person carrying the contagion coughs, sneezes, speaks or sings.

The new guidelines asked people to avoid crowds and ensure good ventilation in buildings, and wear masks especially when physical distancing is not possible.

On July 6, a group of 239 scientists had written an open letter to the global health body asserting that the coronavirus is transmitted through the air. In April, a group of 36 experts on air quality and aerosols had urged WHO to consider growing evidence on airborne transmission of the virus.

The WHO has long dismissed the possibility that the coronavirus spreads through the air except for certain risky medical procedures. However, on July 7, the WHO acknowledged for the first time that there was “evidence emerging” that the transmission of the coronavirus is airborne. Benedetta Allegranzi, WHO’s the technical lead for infection prevention and control, had said at a media briefing in Geneva that such evidence was emerging, but it was not definitive.