Blog Posts Discuss Reactions To, Efforts To Stop Novel Coronavirus Spread

Chatham House: New Coronavirus Outbreak: Concern Is Warranted, Panic Is Not
David Heymann, distinguished fellow, and Lara Hollmann, research assistant, both with the Chatham House Global Health Programme, discuss the knowns and unknowns of the novel coronavirus outbreak, writing, “It is important to take a precautionary approach while uncertainty persists. It is also important not to overreact and for measures to be scientifically sound. Concern over this outbreak is due, but panic is not” (1/23).

U.N. Dispatch: How Multilateral Cooperation Can Stop the Coronavirus Outbreak From Spreading
Mark Leon Goldberg, editor of U.N. Dispatch, discusses the value of multilateral approaches to disease outbreaks, writing, “Whether or not a PHEIC is declared, the World Health Organization and the International Health Regulations will guide the global response. Because these agreements are already place, and because the WHO is an operational arm of the United Nations system, governments around the world will not have to waste time or effort figuring out how to cooperate with each other to stop an infectious disease from spreading globally. Those transaction costs have already been paid, allowing governments to mount a response much more quickly…” (1/23).

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