WHO chief points to ‘green shoots of hope’ in COVID-19 pandemic

10 August 2020

Health UN

Although COVID-19 cases are on track to hit 20 million worldwide this week, and 750,000 deaths, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has pointed to “green shoots of hope” amidst the global crisis, while urging both governments and people everywhere to work to suppress the new coronavirus.

On track: 走上正轨

Green shoots of hope:希望的新芽 Green shoots：绿新芽

 Amidst /ə'mɪdst/ prep. 在……之中；在……气氛下；四周是（等于 amid）

“I know many of you are grieving and that this is a difficult moment for the world”, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday, in his latest briefing to journalists.

Grieving v. 感到悲痛；（因某人的去世而）悲伤；（使）悲伤（grieve 的现在分词） adj. （因某人去世而）悲痛的

"We all want to see schools safely reopened but we also need to ensure that students, staff and faculty are safe. The foundation for this is adequate control of #COVID19 transmission at the community"

          --WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

“But I want to be clear, there are green shoots of hope and no matter where a country, a region, a city or a town is – it’s never too late to turn the outbreak around.”

Action by leaders and citizens

Tedros underlined two elements for addressing the pandemic effectively, namely that “leaders must step up to take action and citizens need to embrace new measures.”

He praised New Zealand as a “global exemplar” in the pandemic. This weekend the country celebrated 100 days with no community transmission of the virus, while Prime Minister Jacinda Adern has also stressed the need to remain cautious.

“Rwanda’s progress is due to a similar combination of strong leadership, universal health coverage, well-supported health workers and clear public health communications”, he added.

Rwanda:卢旺达

The UN’s top official also commended nations in Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific, which took early action to suppress the virus.

Countries such as France, Germany, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom, which faced major outbreaks, also were able to suppress the virus to a significant extent, after taking action.

Strong, precise measures

Throughout the pandemic, WHO has been recommending measures such as rapid case identification, contact tracing, physical distancing, mask wearing, and frequent hand washing.

contact tracing：接触者追踪

Tedros said countries facing new spikes of the disease “are now using all the tools at their disposal”.

He cited recent stay-at-home measures implemented in the UK, as well France’s decision on the compulsory use of masks in busy outdoor spaces in Paris.

compulsory adj. /kəmˈpʌlsəri/  that must be done because of a law or a rule （因法律或规则而）必须做的，强制的，强迫的 • It is compulsory for all motorcyclists to wear helmets. 所有骑摩托车的人都必须戴头盔，这是强制性的。• compulsory education/schooling 义务教育

“Strong and precise measures like these, in combination with utilising every tool at our disposal are key to preventing any resurgence in disease and allowing societies to be reopened safely”, he said. “And even in countries where transmission is intense, it can be brought under control by applying an all of government, all of society response.”

utilise /ˈjuːtəlaɪz/vt. 使用（等于utilize）；利用

resurgence n. /rɪˈsɜːdʒəns/  the return and growth of an activity that had stopped 复苏；复兴

‘Suppress, suppress, suppress’

The WHO chief stressed that virus suppression is crucial for societies to re-open safely, including for students to return to school.

“My message is crystal clear: suppress, suppress, suppress the virus. If we suppress the virus effectively, we can safely open up societies,” he said.

crystal clear  adj. 1.( of glass, water, etc. 玻璃、水等 ) completely clear and bright 清澈透明的；晶莹的；2.very easy to understand; completely obvious 浅显易懂的；显而易见的 •I want to make my meaning crystal clear. 我想把我的意思解释得清清楚楚

suppress v. /səˈpres/  1.( of a government, ruler, etc. 政府、统治者等 ) to put an end, often by force, to a group or an activity that is believed to threaten authority 镇压；（武力）平定；压制  •The rebellion was brutally suppressed. 起义遭到了残酷的镇压。2.( usually disapproving ) to prevent sth from being published or made known 禁止（发表）；查禁；封锁 •The police were accused of suppressing vital evidence. 警方被指隐瞒关键证据。

3.to prevent yourself from having or expressing a feeling or an emotion 抑制；控制；忍住 •to suppress a smile 忍住没笑 •She was unable to suppress her anger. 她按捺不住怒火。

4.to prevent sth from growing, developing or continuing 压制；阻止；抑制 •drugs that suppress the appetite 抑制食欲的药

Support to Lebanon

lebanon /ˈlebənən/ n. 黎巴嫩（西南亚国家，位于地中海东岸）

WHO has underlined its support to Lebanon following the devastating explosion last week that destroyed large parts of the capital, Beirut, leaving more than 200 dead according to news reports on Monday, more than 6,000 injured, and hundreds of thousands homeless.

devastating explosion：摧毁性爆炸  beirut /beiˈru:t/n. 贝鲁特（黎巴嫩一港口）

WHO has issued a $76 million appeal for Lebanon, while staff are on the ground working alongside Lebanese and other UN partners to assess the impact on the health sector.

The agency is shipping $1.7 million-worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) items to supplement COVID-19 and humanitarian supplies destroyed by the blast.

Blast n. 爆炸；冲击波；一阵 vi. 猛攻 vt. 爆炸；损害；使枯萎

“We are also working closely with national health authorities to enhance trauma care, including through the deployment and coordination of qualified emergency medical teams,” Tedros told journalists.

trauma care：创伤治疗

“We’re also mitigating the COVID-19 impact, addressing psychosocial needs and facilitating the rapid restoration of damaged health facilities.”

Psychosocial：psycho-social /saɪkəʊ'səʊʃ(ə)l/ adj. 社会心理的；心理社会学的

restoration n. /ˌrestəˈreɪʃn/  

1.[ UC ] the work of repairing and cleaning an old building, a painting, etc. so that its condition is as good as it originally was 整修；修复 •The palace is closed for restoration . 王宫因整修而停止开放。 •restoration work 修复工作

2.[ UC ] ~ of sth the act of bringing back a system, a law, etc. that existed previously （规章制度等的）恢复 •the restoration of democracy/the monarchy 民主制度╱君主政体的恢复

3.[ U ] ~ (of sth) the act of returning sth to its correct place, condition or owner 复原；复位；回归；归还 •the restoration of the Elgin marbles to Greece 埃尔金大理石雕像之交还希腊

4. the Restoration：the time in Britain after 1660 when, following a period with no king or queen, Charles II became king 王政复辟时期（1660年，英国经历了一段无王时期后，查理二世登基为王）•Restoration comedy/poetry  王政复辟时期的喜剧╱诗歌

原文链接：https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/08/1069842