The text of the Hebraeusus briefing is published on the WHO website.
“Worldwide, about 3.4% of all reported cases of COVID-19 died. In comparison, seasonal flu usually kills far fewer than 1% of those infected, ”said Gebreyesus.
He noted that SARS-CoV-2 is "a unique virus with unique characteristics."
“Both COVID-19 and the flu cause a respiratory illness and spread equally through small drops of fluid from the patient’s nose and mouth,” said the head of WHO.
However, he emphasized that "there are some important differences between COVID-19 and the flu."
“Firstly, COVID-19 does not spread as effectively as the flu, according to our data. As for the flu, people who are infected but not yet sick are the main transmission factors, which does not seem to be the case with COVID-19. Data from China suggests that only 1% of reported cases have no symptoms and in most cases the symptoms develop within two days, ”said Gebreyesus.
Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the level of risk due to the spread of COVID-19 in Europe is increased.