WHO Director in Serbia: I Do Not Expect the Epidemic to End Soon

The director of the Serbian office of the World Health Organization, Marijan Ivanusa, does not expect the coronavirus epidemic to end so soon.

– The numbers are increasing everywhere in the world, Serbia included, which is to be expected. The measures in Serbia are good and have proved to be effective, as the situation would be much worse without them. I am glad that the measures were adopted on time and that people comply with them for the most part, as the situation would be very difficult otherwise – Ivanusa said for RTS.

Epidemiologists say that the next two weeks are crucial in fighting the epidemic, and Ivanusa agrees.

– If we manage to stop the epidemic early, if we manage to control it, everything becomes easier. We can see that it is very difficult to stop the epidemic in the countries where it has blown up – Italy, Spain, the U.S.A. – Ivanusa said.

He believes that, in two weeks, it will be known where the epidemic is heading.

– It will soon be a month since the first case appeared in Serbia. After another two weeks of complying with these measures, we will see where we are and where to go next. I do not expect the epidemic to end so soon and we need to act responsibly and keep it under control as long as possible – Ivanusa says.

Ivanusa says that the number of the infected and the deceased is expected to grow in the upcoming period.

– I expect the number of the infected and, with that, unfortunately, the number of the deceased, to grow further. The numbers are late, as people don't die as soon as the symptoms appear, but later, when complications occur. Some patients stay in intensive care for several weeks – says the head of the Serbian office of the WHO.

Ivanusa repeats how important it is not to let coronavirus spread.

– In the past weeks, individual cases have appeared in Serbia, especially in people coming from abroad. The situation now is that, along with individual cases, there's a local spreading of the disease – in families, communities... In Slovenia, it spread quickly in retirement homes, so that's why we need to be very careful.

The World Health Organization is helping countries by providing the equipment and the test, but it also provides professional help to Serbia.

– The help is not as visible as some other forms of help, but, since January, we have been providing professional help to various institutions, we've transferred the first experiences from China to clinics... We've brought 5,300 tests to Serbia, and we are now procuring an additional 6,000 with the help of the U.S. Embassy – Ivanusa said.

In the world, the number of the infected and the deceased is growing daily, and the most affected countries are Italy and Spain, as well as the U.S.A.

– The epidemic is spreading throughout the world. The situation is very difficult in Italy and Spain, but it seems to be improving slightly. The situation in France and Germany is also very serious, not to mention the U.S.A. This is great and global concern, as this is the sort of an epidemic that we haven't seen since the Spanish flu – Ivanusa says.

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