World Not Ready for Coronavirus Outbreak, Says Canadian WHO Expert

Bruce Aylward, head of the WHO-China Joint Mission on COVID-19 speaks at a press conference about the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, in Beijing, on Feb. 24, 2020. (Matthew Knight/AFP via Getty Images)

A renowned Canadian epidemiologist who led a team of experts to China to study the novel coronavirus on behalf of the World Health Organization says other countries are not ready for a global outbreak.

Dr. Bruce Aylward returned from a two-week mission to China, including the city of Wuhan where the spread of the coronavirus began, urging other countries to get ready for a potential outbreak within their own borders as soon as possible.

He warned the spread of the virus seems inevitable, and urged all countries to make sure hospitals increase their bed capacity and have enough ventilators for the very sick.

Workers are producing protective suits at a factory in Binzhou city of China's eastern Shandong province on Feb. 13, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

He says they should also prepare to quarantine large numbers of people who come into contact with those who have confirmed cases of the disease.

Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said on Feb. 24 that Canada’s priority is delaying a potential outbreak for as long as possible, but the health system is also getting ready to respond should one happen here.