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From the definition: A pandemic is an epidemic of disease that has spread across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or worldwide. We knew and saw

From the definition: A pandemic is an epidemic of disease that has spread across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or worldwide. We knew and saw that weeks ago. Declaration of official pandemic means world bank pandemic relief fund program gets activated as long as many other clauses in different contracts and agreements. There is an influence on WHO and the people behind it didn't want pandemic to be declared too soon. If it was declared 3-4 weeks earlier there could be many lives saved in countries like Iran, what is happening in Africa is not known at all due to no testing but situation is probably bad.

nemonemo 7y ago
This definition has too much room for subjectivity. It needs objective criteria. Or maybe WHO might need to have a numerical metric that says high large the impact of a virus or its associated disease is, just like the earthquake magnitude.
starfallg 7y ago
This really highlights the critical design flaw of the World Bank's Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (funded by the pandemic bonds). By the time the conditions are triggered and funds distributed, it's already way too late into the pandemic. These fund should be made much earlier and more should be diverted into proactive measures to maximise effectiveness.
- beaunative 7y ago
  That's kind of the purpose, if its standards were too low, it would be triggerred too many times that we won't have any of it left to do anything honestly. The World Bank's Program is always suppose to be an emergency backup we hope never to use instead of substitute for a proper government planning in times of pandemic.
ensiferum 7y ago
In Africa there is still natural selection. That means any adult is most likely much more stronger with better immune system than those in Western world without such process. It could possibly actually mean that for the majority of population in the underdeveloped African countries Coronavirus is not as bad as it is for the weak populace in for example Europe. Edit: not sure what's with the down votes. This isn't to disparage African people but it's common knowledge many states are underdeveloped. People don't have access to health care or sanitation or clean drinking water. Dysentery diarrhea and malaise are normal. Any person who reached adulthood in such conditions is obviously a survivor. Don't you agree?
- elliotec 7y ago
  First of all "there is still natural selection" in literally all life, so I think you're meaning something else. But to what your point actually is, do you have any source on that?
  - bosswipe 7y ago
    I know several people that would have not been able to reach adulthood 100 years ago but have now reproduced and have passed on their diseases to their offspring. There is no doubt that natural selection in humans is much weaker now then in the past.
    - elliotec 7y ago
      That's not what natural selection means... medical innovations are still natural selection factors. It doesn't stop, we just naturally figure out how to get better at it.
- ak39 7y ago
  Wow, what is the source of this outrageous claim?? If anything, African states are going to be hit the hardest. South Africa for example, a country I am in, has the world's highest HIV cases. Pneumonia is a death sentence for HIV patients. Also, our infrastructure to manage a spike in infected arriving at state hospitals is abysmal. Right now, we sit with 7 infected (officially) but these are all index based with vectors from recent visits to Italy. If this changes to non-index based vectors, and this disease spreads to the townships, we are done for. If anything, COVID-19 is likely going to hammer Africa the hardest.
- celticninja 7y ago
  Or more likely, the poor of Africa who live in close, unsanitary conditions will be hit incredibly hard because their healthcare system cannot cope
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- 7y ago
austincheney 7y ago
That is word for word copy/paste from Wikipedia, not the WHO. What is the criteria the WHO uses to determine a pandemic?
- potiuper 7y ago
  Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country [Italy|Iran] in a different WHO region [Europe|Eastern Mediterranean] in addition to Phase 5 that is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries [China & South Korea] in one WHO region [Western Pacific]. No threshold of cases or deaths triggers the community level definition and is left to discretion of the WHO.
  - hef19898 7y ago
    So the WHO has done everything right. It is the hallmark of professionalism to follow rules even under pressure. And the WHo is under a tremendous amount of pressure right now.
- concerned_user 7y ago
  Yes, it is. Parent never asked for WHO definition in the first place, I wonder if there is any at all, probably a commercial secret. Pandemic in WHO definition is when Director General of WHO declares it a pandemic, probably after confirming with member states who contribute, they were criticized in 2009 for declaring too early too, so criteria might have changed.
- SkyPuncher 7y ago
  I have had trouble finding one as well (the parent comment).
  - austincheney 7y ago
    I found this article which claims The WHO's use of the term is arbitrary based upon the conditions at hand. https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/11/21156325/coronavirus-pandemic-who-declares-covid-19-outbreak-global-h1n1 https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/11/21156325/coronavirus-pand... I suspect The WHO declared this a pandemic, based upon the article, out of concern for what they perceive to be insufficient government activity.
mebassett 7y ago
For reference, WHO's pandemic definition is phase 6 in this chart: https://www.who.int/influenza/resources/documents/pandemic_phase_descriptions_and_actions.pdf https://www.who.int/influenza/resources/documents/pandemic_p... that is, sustained community outbreaks in multiple WHO regions. For someone like the WHO, you'll either be criticized for sounding the alarm for no reason or not sounding it fast enough.
rconti 7y ago
Yup; a month ago, they were saying it wouldn't be called a pandemic until it had (secondary) community transmission in a second country. My reaction to this push alert today was "wait, they hadn't called it a pandemic yet??"
buck4roo 7y ago
I believe India may even be of more concern than Africa. Of the two, India has the older aged population.

nemonemo 7y ago

This definition has too much room for subjectivity. It needs objective criteria. Or maybe WHO might need to have a numerical metric that says high large the impact of a virus or its associated disease is, just like the earthquake magnitude.

starfallg 7y ago

This really highlights the critical design flaw of the World Bank's Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (funded by the pandemic bonds). By the time the conditions are triggered and funds distributed, it's already way too late into the pandemic. These fund should be made much earlier and more should be diverted into proactive measures to maximise effectiveness.

beaunative 7y ago
That's kind of the purpose, if its standards were too low, it would be triggerred too many times that we won't have any of it left to do anything honestly. The World Bank's Program is always suppose to be an emergency backup we hope never to use instead of substitute for a proper government planning in times of pandemic.

ensiferum 7y ago

In Africa there is still natural selection. That means any adult is most likely much more stronger with better immune system than those in Western world without such process. It could possibly actually mean that for the majority of population in the underdeveloped African countries Coronavirus is not as bad as it is for the weak populace in for example Europe. Edit: not sure what's with the down votes. This isn't to disparage African people but it's common knowledge many states are underdeveloped. People don't have access to health care or sanitation or clean drinking water. Dysentery diarrhea and malaise are normal. Any person who reached adulthood in such conditions is obviously a survivor. Don't you agree?

elliotec 7y ago
First of all "there is still natural selection" in literally all life, so I think you're meaning something else. But to what your point actually is, do you have any source on that?
- bosswipe 7y ago
  I know several people that would have not been able to reach adulthood 100 years ago but have now reproduced and have passed on their diseases to their offspring. There is no doubt that natural selection in humans is much weaker now then in the past.
  - elliotec 7y ago
    That's not what natural selection means... medical innovations are still natural selection factors. It doesn't stop, we just naturally figure out how to get better at it.
ak39 7y ago
Wow, what is the source of this outrageous claim?? If anything, African states are going to be hit the hardest. South Africa for example, a country I am in, has the world's highest HIV cases. Pneumonia is a death sentence for HIV patients. Also, our infrastructure to manage a spike in infected arriving at state hospitals is abysmal. Right now, we sit with 7 infected (officially) but these are all index based with vectors from recent visits to Italy. If this changes to non-index based vectors, and this disease spreads to the townships, we are done for. If anything, COVID-19 is likely going to hammer Africa the hardest.
celticninja 7y ago
Or more likely, the poor of Africa who live in close, unsanitary conditions will be hit incredibly hard because their healthcare system cannot cope
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
7y ago

austincheney 7y ago

That is word for word copy/paste from Wikipedia, not the WHO. What is the criteria the WHO uses to determine a pandemic?

potiuper 7y ago
Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country [Italy|Iran] in a different WHO region [Europe|Eastern Mediterranean] in addition to Phase 5 that is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries [China & South Korea] in one WHO region [Western Pacific]. No threshold of cases or deaths triggers the community level definition and is left to discretion of the WHO.
- hef19898 7y ago
  So the WHO has done everything right. It is the hallmark of professionalism to follow rules even under pressure. And the WHo is under a tremendous amount of pressure right now.
concerned_user 7y ago
Yes, it is. Parent never asked for WHO definition in the first place, I wonder if there is any at all, probably a commercial secret. Pandemic in WHO definition is when Director General of WHO declares it a pandemic, probably after confirming with member states who contribute, they were criticized in 2009 for declaring too early too, so criteria might have changed.
SkyPuncher 7y ago
I have had trouble finding one as well (the parent comment).
- austincheney 7y ago
  I found this article which claims The WHO's use of the term is arbitrary based upon the conditions at hand. https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/11/21156325/coronavirus-pandemic-who-declares-covid-19-outbreak-global-h1n1 https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/11/21156325/coronavirus-pand... I suspect The WHO declared this a pandemic, based upon the article, out of concern for what they perceive to be insufficient government activity.

mebassett 7y ago

For reference, WHO's pandemic definition is phase 6 in this chart: https://www.who.int/influenza/resources/documents/pandemic_phase_descriptions_and_actions.pdf https://www.who.int/influenza/resources/documents/pandemic_p... that is, sustained community outbreaks in multiple WHO regions. For someone like the WHO, you'll either be criticized for sounding the alarm for no reason or not sounding it fast enough.

rconti 7y ago

Yup; a month ago, they were saying it wouldn't be called a pandemic until it had (secondary) community transmission in a second country. My reaction to this push alert today was "wait, they hadn't called it a pandemic yet??"

buck4roo 7y ago

I believe India may even be of more concern than Africa. Of the two, India has the older aged population.