The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) discuss with the Commission how the EU is confronting, together with member states, the coronavirus Covid-19 in the European Parliament in Brussels. Statements by John RYAN, European Commission representative for DG SANTE, Jytte GUTELAND (S&D, SE), Jutta PAULUS (Greens/EFA, DE), Mairead MCGUINNESS (EPP, IE) and Andreas AMMON, Executive Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Brussels

exchange of views

GUTELAND, Jytte (S&D, SE)

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

McGUINNESS, Mairead (EPP, IE)

PAULUS, Jutta (Greens/EFA, DE)

Coronavirus outbreak (T)

Update by the Commission on the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation: extracts from the exchange of views

SOUNDBITE (English), John RYAN, European Commission representative for DG SANTE, At the moment, apart from China, globally, the countries most affected are the Republic of Korea with more than 5,000 cases. Italy, as I said, with about 2500 and Iran with 2300 cases. The virus now affects overall approximately 70 countries around the world from all continents and to different degrees. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, which will speak later, continues to provide epidemiological updates on a daily basis.

SOUNDBITE (English), John RYAN, European Commission representative for DG SANTE, The European Union still remains in what we call the containment phase, and our efforts are still focussed on containing this outbreak. This means identifying and controlling clusters and contact tracing. At the same time while we are in this preparedness phase, we are also investing in in preparedness and preparedness includes for a worst case scenario. And the Commission has therefore been engaging countries to prepare for the possibility of further transmission and to ensure that healthcare capacities are ready to absorb a potentially large number of patients.

SOUNDBITE (Swedish), Jytte GUTELAND (S&amp;D, SE), My final point is as about how to stop infection and how to stop the spread. Because I want people in Europe to feel that we are doing what we can to stop the infection from spreading. So not just dealing with people in the correct fashion once people have been infected. So I think it's health, but has to be the overriding concern. If you want to avoid panic, for example. But there may be other rules where schools are closing. Maybe these things are unnecessary.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jutta PAULUS (Greens/EFA, DE), I also believe that we havemore cases than the officially reported numbers. I do not agree with Peter Liese on that if we test people with lung problems, we still will not test all those that are really carrying the virus and are being untag yet. Virologists say that they found out that the virus particles which are present in the faringe are contagious already.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mairead MCGUINNESS (EPP, IE), How do we avoid getting to scenario 4? Or is it inevitable that we will get to scenario 4 and we just have time to prepare for that now? Because that is something that I was not really clear on. And secondly, the source of this, there is been speculation, but I have not heard any clarity on the source of this outbreak as I speak. In Ireland, we have a cluster of people who came back from Italy and one of them was working then on a shift in an emergency guard, so you can see how this has become quite a serious issue.

SOUNDBITE (English), Andreas AMMON, Executive Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), In particular, whether it is we can avoid to go to scenario  4, I am sure we will not be able to avoid this in every case. But all the efforts that are made right now and the health authorities at national, regional and local level in the member states are really striving right now for that is to detect and cases early, to detect contact persons and take the respective measures in order to slow down at least the further spread. 