65 World Health Organization staffers infected with coronavirus, half at Geneva headquarters
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| WHO had previously claimed that there were no infections at the Geneva headquarters |
Sixty-five World Health Organization staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to an internal email.
The email, obtained by the Associated Press, shows that about half, 32 staffers, were working at the WHO’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, suggesting that the agency’s strict screening and prevention measures were not sufficient to protect its workers from the virus.
The email, which was sent to staff on Friday, indicated that there had been at least one cluster of infections at the WHO. Four people who were on the same team and one person who had contact with them had tested positive. The email did not specifically mention a “cluster" — when two or more people in the same area are infected. The Associated Press suggested that the cluster indicates “basic infection control and social distancing procedures were likely being broken.”
In a previous email on Oct. 16, the WHO claimed that no clusters had been found at the headquarters.
A WHO staffer told the Associated Press that one member of the WHO director-general’s leadership team, an infection control specialist, was part of the cluster.
The WHO had previously claimed that there were no infections at the Geneva headquarters.