As the number of global COVID-19 cases passed 4.5 million today, the World Health Assembly (WHA) geared up to meet virtually for the first time in a shortened meeting that will mainly focus on the COVID-19 threat.Though illness totals have slowed in some earlier hot spots, virus activity is overwhelming health systems in other parts of the world, such as Brazil, where the health minister today resigned after only weeks on the job.A call for technology sharingThe WHA, made up of health ministers from 194 countries, is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO).
It typically meets at WHO headquarters in Geneva over a week, but due to COVID-19 constraints, this year's meeting will be virtual and last only 2 days, May 18