Young people ‘not invincible’ in COVID-19 pandemic: WHO chief

30 July 2020

Health UN

Although older people are among those at highest risk of COVID-19, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has reminded younger generations that they are “not invincible” when it comes to the disease.

invincible adj. /ɪnˈvɪnsəbl/  too strong to be defeated or changed 不可战胜的；不能改变的

Evidence suggests that the spike in cases in some countries is partly due to younger people “letting down their guard during the northern hemisphere summer”, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday.

spike  /spaɪk/  

1.尖状物；尖头；尖刺•a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁

2.（防滑）鞋钉3.赛跑用的）钉鞋•a pair of spikes 一双钉鞋4. 穗；穗状花序

5.a sudden large increase in sth 猛增；急升•a spike in oil prices 油价的急剧上涨

6.[ VN ] 用尖物刺入（或扎破）

7.~ sth (with sth) to add alcohol, poison or a drug to sb's drink or food without them knowing 在…中偷偷掺入（烈酒、毒药或毒品） •He gave her a drink spiked with tranquillizers. 他给了她一杯偷偷放了镇静剂的饮料。 •Her words were spiked with malice. 她的话暗含恶意。

8.[ VN ] to reject sth that a person has written or said; to prevent sth from happening or being made public 拒绝发表；阻止…传播；阻挠 •The article was spiked for fear of legal action against the newspaper. 因担心被提起诉讼，报社未发表那篇文章。

9.[ V ] to rise quickly and reach a high value 迅速升值；急剧增值•The US dollar spiked to a three-month high. 美元猛然升值到三个月来的最高价。10. spike sb's ˈguns：to spoil the plans of an opponent 打乱对手的计划

the spike in cases：案例激增    letting down their guard ：放松警惕

northern hemisphere summer：北半球夏天

"Although older people are at a higher risk of severe #COVID19, younger people are at risk too. One of the challenges we face is convincing younger people of this risk"-@DrTedros — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 30, 2020

“We have said it before and we’ll say it again: young people are not invincible”, he told journalists. 

“Young people can be infected; young people can die; and young people can transmit the virus to others.”

He stressed that the world’s youth “should be leaders and drivers of change” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Protect yourself and others

Tedros further advised that people everywhere must learn to live with the virus, and to take steps necessary to protect themselves and others, including those who are most at risk, such as the elderly and people in long-term care.

people in long-term care：被长期护理的人 （简单的词表达复杂的意思）

Many countries have reported that more than 40 percent of COVID-19-related deaths have been linked to long-term care facilities, and up to 80 per cent in some high-income countries.

In response, WHO has released a policy brief on preventing and managing COVID-19 in those facilities.

It lists key actions such as integrating long-term care in national response plans to counter the pandemic, ensuring strong infection prevention and control, and providing support for family and voluntary caregivers

Caregiver：care--giver 照顾者，看护者

The brief also suggests ways to transform long-term care services so that older people can receive quality care that respects their rights, freedoms and dignity, Tedros added.

Experts to advise on behavioural insights

Twenty-two international experts in fields such as anthropology, psychology, neuroscience and health promotion will help WHO understand how people make decisions that support their health and well-being, including during the pandemic.

anthropology n. /ˌænθrəˈpɒlədʒi/  人类学 psychology n. /saɪˈkɒlədʒi/ 心理学

Neuroscience  n. neuro--science  /ˈnjʊərəʊsaɪəns/  神经科学

The newly established Technical Advisory Group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health, announced aon Thursday, will support WHO’s ongoing work in this area.

Tedros explained that while having reliable information about health is important, people make decisions based on a variety of factors, influenced by culture, beliefs, economic circumstances, or the status of national health systems.

“In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries are using a range of tools to influence behaviour: information campaigns are one tool, but so are laws, regulations, guidelines and even fines”, he said.

“That’s why behavioural science is so important – it helps us to understand how people make decisions, so we can support them to make the best decisions for their health.”

American legal scholar and former top US Government official Cass Sunstein chairs the Technical Advisory Group, whose members come from 16 countries.

 Chair：这里做动词使用，担任（会议）主席，就任要职

“Our starting point…is that health involves behaviour. And whether we’re speaking of COVID-19, or sexual and reproductive health, or smoking, or other non-communicable diseases, human behaviour is at the root of it”, said Professor Sunstein, who is founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School.

“We know that habits are persistent, even if they aren’t healthy. And we know from a great deal of work that habits can be altered – and that can save lives.”

Eid al-Adha and a safe Hajj

Tedros also extended best wishes to all Muslims celebrating the annual Eid al-Adha festival, which falls on Friday.

Eid al-Adha：古尔邦节，又称 宰牲节，尔德节。古尔邦节与开斋节（肉孜节）、圣纪并列为伊斯兰三大宗教节日。

hajj n. /hædʒ/ the religious journey to Mecca that all Muslims try to make at least once in their lives （伊斯兰教徒去麦加的）朝觐

He commended Saudi Arabia for implementing measures to make this year’s Hajj pilgrimage as safe as possible.

pilgrimage n. /ˈpɪlɡrɪmɪdʒ/  

1.a journey to a holy place for religious reasons 朝圣之旅 •to go on/make a pilgrimage 前往朝圣

2.a journey to a place that is connected with sb/sth that you admire or respect 参拜之行；瞻仰之旅 •His grave has become a place of pilgrimage . 他的陵墓成了参拜之地。

“This is a powerful demonstration of the kinds of measures that countries can and must take to adapt to the new normal”, said the WHO chief.

“It’s not easy, but it can be done. The pandemic does not mean life has to stop."

原文链接：https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/07/1069301