The World Health Organisation, WHO, has come out to say that more than 100 nations have joined the Solidarity Trial, as it is still at the forefront of research and development efforts with 1,200 COVID-19 patients.

WHO’s Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, revealed this during a briefing today.

According to him, easing restrictions and activating lockdowns does not mean coronavirus has been defeated as only proper testing, isolation and care for all cases can make us win this battle.

He added that WHO is currently working on shipping about almost 180 million surgical masks, 54 million N95 facemasks and three million protective goggles to nations that need it the most.

His words, “We are also continuing to lead R&D (research and development) efforts.

“So far, more than 100 countries have joined the Solidarity Trial to evaluate therapeutics for COVID-19, and 1,200 patients have been randomised from the first five countries.

“This week, we expect that more than 600 hospitals will be ready to start enrolling patients. The faster we recruit patients, the faster we will get results.”

“Through April and May, we intend to ship almost 180 million surgical masks, 54 million N95 facemasks and three million protective goggles to countries that need them most.

“Solidarity flights continue to ship lifesaving medical supplies across Africa to protect health workers, who are on the frontlines in the effort to save lives and slow the pandemic.

“We want to re-emphasise that easing restrictions is not the end of the epidemic in any country. Ending the epidemic will require a sustained effort on the part of individuals, communities and governments to continue suppressing and controlling the virus.

“So-called lockdowns can help to take the heat out of a country’s epidemic, but they cannot end it alone.

“Countries must now ensure they can detect, test, isolate and care for every case, and trace every contact.

“We welcome the accelerated development and validation of tests to detect COVID-9 antibodies— helping us to understand the extent of infection in the population.

“WHO is providing technical, scientific and heavy dollar sign support for the roll-out of sero-epidemiologic surveys across the world.”

“While antibody tests are important for knowing who has been infected, tests that find the virus are a core tool for active case finding, diagnosis, isolation and treatment.

“One of WHO’s priorities is to work with partners to increase the production and equitable distribution of diagnostics to the countries that need them most.”