BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday characterized the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic.
As the world is striving to push back the pandemic, it must be fully aware of the lurking danger of pan-panic.
Already, the daily update of the fast growing number of new infections and deaths has had many in different parts of the world on tenterhooks. Masks, disinfector and even toilet papers were sold out; Asian-looking people were attacked in Europe and America; stock markets worldwide are on roller-coaster rides.
The very reason the WHO finally called the spread of COVID-19 a pandemic is certainly not to fuel fear and panic, but to rally even greater consensus among countries worldwide for urgent and stronger actions against the disease.
"All countries can still change the course of this pandemic if countries detect, test, treat, isolate, trace and mobilize their people in the response," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday in Geneva.
In this battle against a previously unknown infectious disease, it is understandable to harbor concerns.
However, if left unchecked, those concerns could spark unwarranted fear, and unwarranted fear could foster racism, nationalism and isolationism, thus turning one against another at a time when solidarity and trust should be valued and ardently encouraged.
Therefore, for the world to beat the disease, it should also find ways to contain panic at the same time.
To do that, governments across the globe should use every tool at their disposal to inform the general public about the best possible way to stay healthy, come out loud and clear against any misinformation with truth, and rid racism and xenophobia of any chance to swell and swing people's minds.
Of course, the most powerful weapon to counter panic now is to have full confidence in the human race's ability to end the outbreak only if all countries come together.
The international community can draw that confidence from China's own experience as the country has been making steady progress in containing the spread of the virus within its borders. If China can turn the tide against the disease, so can others.
Over the past few days, countries like Italy, France and South Korea have all taken rigorous measures like locking down cities, suspending schools and tightening port controls.
Also, more and more leaders, academics and medical professionals have spoken up for the importance of global solidarity and cooperation. It seems that the international community is racing to catch up with the curve.
With the latest reminder from the WHO, countries worldwide should do everything they can to make sure that panic will not stand between them and the final victory.
