Good morning, good afternoon and good evening. Globally, nearly 1.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now been reported to WHO, and more than 92,000 deaths.In the past week, we’ve seen a welcome slowing in some of the hardest-hit countries in Europe, like Spain, Italy, Germany and France.On a personal note, I was pleased to see my friend Boris Johnson is no longer in intensive care.
I wish him all the best – as I wish the best for everyone who is facing what he faced.At the same time, we’ve seen an alarming acceleration in other countries.I want to take a moment to highlight Africa, where we are seeing the spread of the virus to rural areas.