WHO has published a new scientific brief on “Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children and adolescents with COVID-19”, given the reported clusters of children and adolescents who require admission to intensive care units with a multisystem inflammatory condition. There is an urgent need for collecting standardized data describing epidemiology, clinical presentations, severity, and outcomes. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros, in his media briefing yesterday, highlighted the need to “unleash the full power of science, to deliver innovations that are scalable, usable, and benefit everyone, everywhere, at the same time”.

WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, urged countries in the region to lift public health and social measures (so called lockdowns) in a graded manner and that Local epidemiology should guide focused action in ‘new normal’ COVID-19 world.

Lesotho reported its first case of COVID-19. WHO has published an interim guidance document on Laboratory biosafety fortesting of clinical specimens of patients that meet the case definition of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).