Geneva: World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press conference that the agency “could always do better” following confusing comments made Monday about asymptomatic transmission of the coronavirus.
The WHO drew criticism from the scientific community and others across social media Monday after Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, one of its top scientists, said the asymptomatic spread of the coronavirus was “very rare.”
“Communicating complex science in real-time about a new virus is not always easy, but we believe it’s part of our duty to the world and we can always do better,” Tedros said.
Kerkhove, head of the WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, walked back those comments Tuesday, saying, it was a “misunderstanding” and “we don’t actually have that answer yet.”
