Canadian, South Korean Heads Of State Discuss COVID-19 Response - Readout

Canadian, South Korean Heads of State Discuss COVID-19 Response - Readout

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and South Korean President Moon Jae-in discussed strategies for containing the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a readout of the conversation released by the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday said

TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th March, 2020) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and South Korean President Moon Jae-in discussed strategies for containing the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a readout of the conversation released by the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday said.

"Prime Minister Trudeau and President Moon shared their commitment to take decisive action to combat the pandemic," the readout said. "They agreed on the urgent priority of vaccine development and treatments.� They also discussed vital strategies to support their respective national economies."

The two leaders agreed on the need for international coordination to mitigate the effect of the virus on public health and economies around the world.

Trudeau and Moon also stressed the importance of taking a science-first approach to decision-making and sharing scientific information amongst the international community.

South Korea briefly became the country worst affected by the virus outside China, but speedy and aggressive mitigation measures saw the spread virtually stop in its tracks. As of Thursday, there are 9,241 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Korea, according to the Health Ministry's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Canada has seen a sharp rise in confirmed cases with government data revealing that the country has recorded almost 2000 new cases since Monday.

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11. More than 487,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, with over 22,000 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.