MANILA – The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday said Lebanon and Israel are two new countries that reported cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
In a situation report on February 22, the WHO said Lebanon reported one case and Israel reported one case as well.
It added that there are 76,392 confirmed cases and 2,348 deaths in China while 1,402 confirmed cases and 11 deaths were recorded outside China.
"The role of environmental contamination in the transmission of Covid-19 is not yet clear," the WHO said.
The coronavirus cases were detected in central China in December last year and spread to South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, US, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Russian Federation, Spain, Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
On Feb. 18, the WHO published a new protocol entitled “Surface sampling of coronavirus disease 2019: A practical “how to” protocol for health care and public health professionals”.
"This protocol was designed to determine viable virus presence and persistence on fomites in various locations where a Covid-19 patient is receiving care or isolated, and to understand how fomites may play a role in the transmission of the virus," the WHO said.
The WHO advised that practice of frequent handwashing, avoiding unprotected contact with farm and wild animals, practice of proper cough etiquette, and avoiding close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections remain the best ways to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus.
The WHO has declared the Covid-19 outbreak an international health emergency. (PNA)
