ABC News: WHO director goes into self-quarantine after contact with person exposed to COVID-19
“The director of the World Health Organization tweeted Sunday he will go into self-quarantine after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he is well and not showing symptoms but will be working from home as a precaution…” (Theodorou/Pereira, 11/1).

CIDRAP News: WHO extends COVID-19 emergency as global total tops 45 million
“With surges accelerating in the United States and Europe, the global COVID-19 case total today passed 45 million with a record single-day high as the World Health Organization (WHO) reports 505,756 new cases so far. … At a WHO media briefing today, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said the agency’s COVID-19 emergency committee wrapped up its fifth review of COVID-19 developments and unanimously agreed that the situation still warrants a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (IHR). … In another development, WHO officials said an international expert group met virtually with Chinese counterparts today in advance of a joint effort to investigate the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19…” (Schnirring, 10/30).

U.N. News: Long-term symptoms of COVID-19 ‘really concerning,’ says WHO chief
“With some COVID-19 patients reporting long-term symptoms, including damage to major organs, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged governments to ensure they receive necessary care. ‘Although we’re still learning about the virus, what’s clear is that this is not just a virus that kills people. To a significant number of people, this virus poses a range of serious long-term effects,’ said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking in Geneva on Friday during the U.N. agency’s latest virtual press conference. The situation also underscores how herd immunity is ‘morally unconscionable and unfeasible,’ he added…” (10/30).

Additional coverage of issues discussed at the WHO’s latest press conference, including the team investigating the origins of the novel coronavirus, and Tedros’s self-isolation is available from AP, The Guardian (2), Health Policy Watch, New York Times, Reuters, and South China Morning Post.