This shows World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaking at the WHO headquaters in Geneva on March 16, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

GENEVA, - World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday said on Twitter that "there is no time to waste" and that WHO's singular focus is on working to serve all people to save lives and stop the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump announced late Tuesday that he had instructed his administration to suspend funding for the WHO

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These remarks are believed to be the WHO chief's first public response after the US decision to suspend funding to WHO.

Also on Wednesday, Tedros retweeted a previous tweet from an epidemiologist, who said that after working for WHO for 10 years with six Director-Generals, he found Dr. Tedros is one of the best and the current political campaign against Tedros is wrong.

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US President Donald Trump announced late Tuesday that he had instructed his administration to suspend funding for the WHO, which he accused of "severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus."

Lockdowns should be lifted in two-week stages 

Countries that ease restrictions imposed to fight the spread of the coronavirus should wait at least two weeks to evaluate the impact of such changes before easing again, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

WHO said that the world stands at a “pivotal juncture” in the pandemic and that “speed, scale, and equity must be our guiding principles”

In its latest Strategy Update, the UN agency said that the world stands at a “pivotal juncture” in the pandemic and that “speed, scale, and equity must be our guiding principles” when deciding what measures are necessary.

Every country should implement comprehensive public health measures to maintain a sustainable steady state of low-level or no transmission and prepare its surge capacity to react rapidly to control any spread, the WHO said.

Some of the countries hardest-hit by the virus are now considering lifting lockdowns and beginning the transition toward a resumption of normal life. The WHO update said any such steps should be taken gradually, with time to evaluate their impact before new steps are taken.

“To reduce the risk of new outbreaks, measures should be lifted in a phased, step-wise manner based on an assessment of the epidemiological risks and socioeconomic benefits of lifting restrictions on different workplaces, educational institutions, and social activities...,” the WHO said.

“Ideally there would be a minimum of 2 weeks (corresponding to the incubation period of COVID-19) between each phase of the transition, to allow sufficient time to understand the risk of new outbreaks and to respond appropriately,” it added.

It warned that the “risk of re-introduction and resurgence of the disease will continue”.