Strong WHO Support and Assistance
Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, the WHO has been highly concerned with the epidemic. It has not only given understanding, support and affirmation to China's prevention and control efforts, but also fully cooperated with China on the fight against the epidemic.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited China on January 28 to investigate the COVID-19 epidemic. An advance team of WHO international experts led by Canadian epidemiologist and emergency expert Dr. Bruce Aylward arrived in China on February 10 to work with their Chinese counterparts.
On February 16, the WHO-China Joint Mission on COVID-19 began to work by visiting Beijing and the provinces of Guangdong, Sichuan and Hubei respectively. After conducting field investigation, asking about epidemic and treatment situation, and learning from Chinese experience in epidemic prevention and control, they carried out technical exchanges and deepened mutual trust and cooperation.
At the press conference the joint team held in Beijing on February 24, Dr. Bruce Aylward noted that China's unprecedented public health responses to the COVID-19 outbreak have yielded notable results in controlling human-to-human transmission of the virus, and "averted and probably prevented at least tens of thousands even hundreds of thousands, of cases." China is taking prudent, phased and orderly steps to gradually restore order in social, economic, education and healthcare sectors, and other countries should swiftly reassess the measures taken toward China. He also said the world needs to learn from China's experience and recognize what the people of Wuhan have done to the world, and the world is in their debt. With the disease finishes, he said, he hopes he has the chance to thank the people of Wuhan on behalf of the world again.
In response to the fake news and stigmatization emerging amid the epidemic, the WHO has made judges based on science and evidence, tried to communicate with and coordinate mainstream information channels, actively clarified the actual situations, constantly called for all parties to stick to the truth, boycott rumors, maintain confidence and strengthen cooperation, and ensured the public have access to authoritative information.
Statistics models provided by some WHO experts showed that China's measures on movement restriction have delayed the dissemination of the outbreak two or three days within China and two or three weeks outside China.
The WHO has spoken positively of and fully affirmed China's efforts to contain the novel coronavirus. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the quick speed and massive scale of China's response to coronavirus is rarely seen in the world and shows the advantages of China's system. He called for other countries to emulate China's experience. China's large-scale prevention and control action has brought time for the world and made the world safer. Moreover, WHO officials and experts including Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Bruce Aylward have expressed commendation, respect and appreciation to China's medical professionals on many occasions.
世界卫生组织大力支持和帮助
新冠肺炎疫情发生以来，世界卫生组织高度关注，不仅对中国疫情防控工作给予理解、支持和肯定，还积极同中国展开合作，全力帮助中国抗击疫情。
2020年1月28日，世界卫生组织总干事谭德塞访问中国，考察新冠肺炎疫情。2月10日，由加拿大流行病学专家和应急专家布鲁斯-艾尔沃德率领的世卫组织国际专家组首批成员抵达中国，与中国同行一起工作。2月16日，中国—世界卫生组织新型冠状病毒肺炎联合专家考察组正式开展工作，分别前往北京市、广东省、四川省和湖北省开展现场调研，了解疫情形势和救治情况，学习中国防控经验，开展技术交流，深化互信合作。2月24日，联合专家考察组在北京举行新闻发布会，外方组长布鲁斯-艾尔沃德指出，中国采取了前所未有的公共卫生应对措施，在阻断病毒人际传播、减缓疫情扩散蔓延方面取得明显效果，已经避免或推迟了至少数十万新冠肺炎病例。中国正在采取谨慎、分阶段、有序的方式，逐步恢复社会、经济、教育和医疗等各部门的正常秩序，其他国家应迅速重新评估对中国采取的措施。他表示，世界需要学习中国的经验，要认识到武汉人民所做出的贡献，世界亏欠他们，当这场疫情过去的时候，希望有机会能代表世界再一次感谢武汉人民。
针对疫情期间一些别有用心的假消息、污名化言行，世卫组织坚持以科学和事实为依据作出判断，努力沟通协调主流信息渠道，积极澄清真相，不断呼吁各方坚持真理、抵制谣言、保持信心、加强合作，确保民众得到权威信息。据世卫组织部分合作专家提供的数据模型显示，中国采取的控制人员流动等措施让中国境内的疫情传播速度延缓了两到三天，让中国境外的疫情传播速度延缓了两到三周。世卫组织积极评价并充分肯定中国抗击疫情的努力，总干事谭德塞表示，中方行动之快、规模之大，世所罕见；这是中国制度的优势，有关经验值得其他国家借鉴；中国所采取的大规模防控行动为世界争取了时间，让世界更加安全。此外，包括谭德塞、艾尔沃德在内的世卫组织官员和专家还多次表达了对中国医护人员的肯定、敬意和感谢。
