How the States are following the COVID-19 guidelines by WHO?

Profile of the Author: Iffla Firdous is a 4th Year Law student from the School of Law, University of Kashmir.

Covid-19 & World

When the pandemic first broke out, the entire world was in a state of panic, and it took over a half year for the world to initially realize what we currently call COVID-19 and to assess where we are in the episode and how the world has reacted to the pandemic. The pandemic has caused significant damage and taken a toll on every possible sphere of human life. Before the end of June 2020, WHO had gotten reports of right around 10 million cases, and a large portion of 5,00,000 people lost their lives to the battle of covid-19. The pandemic keeps on quickening; at the current rate, cases are multiplying around like clockwork. We are confronting a snapshot of a significant threat. We can win if we stand together in worldwide solidarity. Coronavirus will consistently take the easy way out and function on the path of comfortable resistance. We realize that when nations adopt a specific strategy dependent on key and general wellbeing measures and an entire societal approach, COVID-19 can be managed, sparing lives and empowering social orders and economies to work and the graph to start normalizing. However, in the more significant part of the world, the infection isn't levelled out – it is flourishing with postponement, denial, and division. The world has indicated that we are more grounded when we act along with a typical reason.

WHO’s response to COVID-19

More than 5000 patients over 20 nations have joined WHO's Solidarity Trial, which will keep on responding to inquiries regarding which medicines are best. Over 600 benefactor commitments have helped reserve over 108 COVID-19 public plans. By the end of June, the joint skill and purchasing offices united by the COVID-19 Supply Chain System had acquired 140 million individual defensive gear, 4.5 million lab test packs, and 5 million example assortment units accessible for conveyance all through July and August 2020. The COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO raised more than US$224 million to research to find a vaccine against covid-19. The Global Research Forum united manufacturers and producers, controllers, scholastics, public governments, common and civil society, and worldwide associations to concede to a global guide to quicken the need for innovative work.

The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator has been dispatched to guarantee the priority and need-based research is supported financially, and those new therapeutics, diagnostics, and immunizations are accessible based on need. By working with master organizations and teaming up bases on the world, very quickly, WHO has distributed 130 direction records on different parts of readiness and reaction in various settings, continually refreshed as our insight into the infection and how to beat it develops.

Countries following WHO guidelines

Through on the web and in-person preparing, specialized missions and far off help, WHO provincial workplaces have helped nations to interpret direction and methodologies into public plans; over 80% of countries presently have such an arrangement, while WHO's worldwide and territorial stages, nation workplaces, and synergistic activities, for example, the Global Outbreak Alert and Response network have assisted with executing these plans on the ground. We have accomplished much together; however, our most prominent difficulties lie ahead. As the pandemic keeps on quickening, the danger of COVID-19 is compounded by the expanded threat of flare-ups of antibody preventable sicknesses brought about by postponements and suspensions to inoculation programs and the interference of center wellbeing administrations.

Of the 63 nations organized for WHO's operational help, more than 66% have suspended or deferred inoculation programs because of COVID-19, while not exactly a quarter has distinguished and gotten ready for the coherence of center well-being administrations. Controlling COVID-19 is currently the way to forestalling the inversion of hard-won wellbeing and advancement increases in low-pay nations that have taken a very long time to accomplish.

To support all, we should stand together against COVID-19 and work together in the direction of WHO guidelines to ensure the virus does not infect us. WHO has given specific such guidelines with which all the nations including has accepted and provided their adoption. India, with a population of approximately 1.5 billion, was at a greater risk. India's health and the medical system could not have been able to control the situation had it gone out of hand. To prevent the spread of covid-19 in India, the government needed to enforce the strictest possible measures. As a result, A complete lockdown was implemented to avoid the spread of the virus. The educational institutions were shut down; offices were made to make their employees work from home, travel restrictions were imposed, traffic remained off the roads.

Various level teams

India created various teams at various levels to conduct:

Country-level coordination, planning, and monitoring;

Risk communication and community engagement;

Surveillance, rapid-response teams, and case investigation;

Maintaining essential health services and systems.

High-level surveillance at the point of entry in various states of the country;

Research for vaccination at the National laboratories;

Infection prevention and control;

Case management;

Operations support and logistics.

It has been made mandatory for people to wear a mask to prevent the spread of covid-19, and strict actions are taken against people who are seen violating such a guideline.

Ensuring awareness among people

Focus on issuing guidelines on maintaining social distancing and wearing a mask, which includes one needs to ensure cleaning hands before putting the mask on and off and ensuring while one is wearing a mask, and it covers the mouth, nose, and chin area. Specifications on the type of mask to be worn are also provided; while one is in a crowded place, he must maintain social distance from other people. The mask must be worn, keeping certain things in mind, including where and when one has to go and to depend on how much virus is circulating where you are going to.

A Fabric mask has to be worn necessarily when you can’t stay physically distanced, particularly in crowded and poorly ventilated indoor settings.

Wear a medical/surgical mask if you:

Medical masks are essential personal protective equipment for the medical teams while engaging with patients (suspected, probable, or confirmed COVID-19). Respirator masks should be used by them and based on their fitting to ensure the right size is worn.

The government has also closed those places, which can create crowds. Outbreaks have been reported in restaurants, nightclubs, fitness clubs and gyms, offices, places of worship, and many more where people gather. Educational institutions are also closed. The risks of getting COVID-19 are higher in crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces where infected people spend a long together nearby. These environments are where the virus appears to spreads by respiratory droplets or aerosols more efficiently, so taking precautions is even more critical.

More awareness has been created among people through various mediums. A particular focus has been laid to ensure that people follow hygiene to prevent covid-19. The local and national authorities and public health units are best placed to advise on what people should be doing to protect themselves. The focus has been laid on.

• Regularly and thoroughly clean hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water to eliminate germs, including viruses that may be on your hands.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose, or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and infect you.
• Cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately into a closed bin and wash your hands. By following good ‘respiratory hygiene,’ you protect the people around you from viruses, which cause colds, flu, and COVID-19.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces frequently, especially those regularly touched, such as door handles, faucets, and phone screens.

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REFERENCES

1. https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-covid-19-preparedness-and-response-progress-report---1-february-to-30-june-2020
2. http://cghealth.nic.in/ehealth/covid19/pages/index.html
3. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/strategies-and-plans