WHO launches #SafeHands challenge to help people fight coronavirus outbreak- WATCH

GENEVA: With global death toll due to deadly coronavirus outbreak surpassing 7,000-mark, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a ''safe hands challenge'' to make people aware of the lethal virus and know the importance of the cleaning. The WHO shared a video to promote the power of clean hands to help people fight coronavirus. The world body has also asked individuals to join the challenge and share videos of washing hands. 

“There are simple things we each must do to protect ourselves from #COVID19, including Open hands washing with Soap & Splashing sweat symbol or an alcohol-based rub. 

''WHO is launching the #SafeHands Challenge to promote the power of clean Open hands to fight #coronavirus.'' 

Join the challenge & share your Open hands washing video!,” the WHO said in a tweet. 

There are simple things we each must do to protect ourselves from #COVID19, including washing with & or alcohol-based rub.
WHO is launching the #SafeHands Challenge to promote the power of clean to fight #coronavirus.
Join the challenge & share your washing video! pic.twitter.com/l7MDw1mwDl

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 13, 2020

The Director-General of the WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, also shared a similar video and invited people to take the safe hands challenge.  

In the video, Ghebreyesus can be seen saying that there are several practical measures you can take to protect yourself from the new coronavirus.  

One of the most important is regular, safe and effective hand hygiene using soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub. In the video, he has also demonstrated the right way to wash hands.  

"You too can have safe and clean hands anywhere. Now I am calling on the world to take the WHO Safe Hands challenge to be ready for coronavirus," Ghebreyesus adds. 

Meanwhile, the WHO also praised the India government`s commitment to combat the novel coronavirus - a pandemic, which has infected more than 168,000 people and killed over 7,000 globally.

Speaking to reporters after holding a meeting with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Henk Bekedam, the WHO Representative to India, commended the apex medical research institute for managing to isolate the strains of Sars-Cov-2.

"I think the commitment of the Indian government from the top level - the Prime Minister`s office himself - has been enormous, very impressive. This is one of the reasons why India is doing very well. I am very impressed that everyone has been mobilised," Bekedam said.

"We have very good research capacity in India and especially at the ICMR and the Department of Health Research. They have been able to isolate the virus, (and) now India will continue to be part of the research community," he added.

Last week, the ICMR had announced they have been successful in isolating the new strain of coronavirus - the first step towards expediting the development of drugs and vaccines for COVID-19.

India has reported 126 cases of the novel coronavirus, while 3 people have died in the country from the infection. The virus, which first originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has infected more than 168,000 people and killed over 7,000 globally.