There was an excellent discussion during the committee today, but it was also clear that to proceed, we need more information. For that reason, I have decided to ask the Emergency Committee to meet again tomorrow to continue their discussion, and the Chair, Dr Houssin, has agreed with that request.
The decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence. Our team in China working with local experts and officials to investigate the outbreak. We will have much more to say tomorrow.
Thank you very much, and we would be glad to answer any questions you have.
Before that, I would like to hand over to the chair of the Emergency Committee, Dr Houssin, to say a few words about the committee’s deliberations.