Speaking at a briefing in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives. But the hard reality is this is not even close to being over."
The pandemic has brought many new terms into daily usage. Here are definitions of some of the words used in discussion of the novel coronavirus and how to stem its spread.
As the country's coronavirus cases surge, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for law reform to resume a surveillance program that the Supreme Court halted earlier this month.
Staff in over 400 call centers in Germany work around the clock to notify people if they've been exposed to a positive coronavirus case. The country aims to have one contact tracer per 4,000 people.
NPR surveyed all 50 states to find out how many people they have doing contact tracing — one of the essential tools for keeping outbreaks from flaring up. Look up your state to see how it's doing.
"We will almost certainly see cases here again" Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern predicted last week. "That is not a sign we have failed." The two women in the new cases are in self-isolation.
California is paying to train a huge contingent of contact tracers by July. Many of the new recruits are librarians: they're curious, tech savvy, and great at talking to strangers.
Public health experts say tracing the close contacts of people infected with the coronavirus and getting them all into quarantine is crucial to stopping the pandemic. That's easier said than done.
Online misinformation is fueling a backlash in some places against coronavirus containment strategies such as contact tracing and isolation. Some health officials have even received violent threats.
"The speed with which this has happened is really devastating," says Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute. He warns the outbreak will leave no part of the U.S. untouched.
Apple and Google are developing smartphone technology to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. But public health authorities in some states are chafing against the tech giants' rules.
Former federal health officials Andy Slavitt and Scott Gottlieb tell Morning Edition that more coronavirus testing and contact tracing are needed for U.S. businesses to reopen safely.
In Corvallis, Ore, university volunteers are going into neighborhoods and offering residents a free self-test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in hopes of getting a more accurate snapshot of infections.
Companies around the country are figuring out how to safely reopen office during the pandemic. The new normal might involve smartphone apps and badges to track employees.
Starting this month, health departments in New York are trying to hire thousands of workers to build up what could become one of the country's largest contact tracing programs for the coronavirus.
New estimates say the U.S. needs to triple its testing. But how much testing does each state need? Here's how states compare to each other, and to targets experts say they should hit.
To safely reopen without risking new COVID-19 outbreaks, states need staff to do the crucial work of contact tracing. Public health agencies report they have aggressive plans to grow their workforce.
As parts of the U.S. aim to move out of lockdown, a key tool to contain coronavirus cases will be contact tracing. It's something health workers in low-income countries have lots of experience with.
CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield says the agency will double the current number of positions to aid local health departments in quashing new outbreaks. They will focus on testing and contact tracing.
Citing concerns about privacy and civil liberties, the city's not relying on a smartphone app to track cases. Instead, it's recruiting public health staff, librarians and med students to make calls.
