World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the COVID-19 a pandemic.
"WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction. We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic,” said WHO in a statement.
“Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly,” continued WHO. “It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death.”
This is the first pandemic caused by a coronavirus, reported WHO.
What is COVID-19?
Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), according to WHO. A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain which has not been previously identified in humans.
Coronaviruses are transmitted between animals and people. Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death, according to WHO.
Preventing Infection & Spread
Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. People should also avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness, such as coughing and sneezing.
Impacts to the Water Industry
Large gatherings, ranging from conferences to music festivals, are being cancelled in order to minimize contact and mitigate the issue.
As far as the water industry, the following events have been cancelled or postponed: WQA Convention (moving online), WEF Stormwater Symposium (canceled), NCSPA Meeting (canceled), Chicago River Summit (postponed), Ohio Stormwater Conference (postponed), IFAT (postponed to Sept. 7-11), Water Leaders Summit (moved online), WaterCon 2020 (canceled).
If there are other industry events affected by this outbreak, please contact [email protected].
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