Today marked the end of the 73rd Annual World Health Assembly hosted by the World Health Organization for member states. President Macron, Chancellor Merkel, the spokesperson for the European Commission, Virginie Battu-Henriksson— all emphasized that global cooperation forward is the only effective means to avoid a viral spiral. These European Heads of State and many other world leaders agreed to help support and further fund the worldwide efforts of the WHO to continue responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The World Health Organization, comprised of 7000 employees in 100 countries, assists all countries to respond to health crises, and especially the developing, most vulnerable nations. And yet, WHO operates worldwide on a third of the US Center for Disease Control budget, reserved only for the United States.

In my interview with Dr. David Nabarro in our continuing series: “Combatting COVID19 with Compassion” it is abundantly clear that our primary coordinated action must be to make it hard for the virus to move—and that means to practice good hygiene everywhere, protect yourself and others from spreading the virus by wearing masks and keeping physical distance, by ensuring local, sustainable community based health services in every town, village, county, and city—and by creating a smart system for preventing spread, protecting the most vulnerable, testing, isolating cases, contact tracing, and diligent, continual adaptation in business and government to respond to the highly contagious COVID-19 everywhere, all the time.

As information is everywhere; it’s super important to critically evaluate one’s sources; so I am happy that I have the privilege to bring to you one of the most trusted sources of information on global pandemics, Dr. David Nabarro.