A man wearing a protective facemask walks to a shop to re-fill his empty water container in Beijing on January 30, 2020. (NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP)

MANILA - Takeshi Kasai, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Western Pacific, praised China for focusing its efforts on how to bring the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak under control.

I would really like to appreciate the people of China, especially health care workers caring for sick patients, and the Chinese authorities for their best efforts to control this outbreak.

Takeshi Kasai, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific

"China's decision to date clearly shows that they are making control of the outbreak a top priority," Kasai tweeted on Wednesday.

"Making decisions during infectious disease outbreaks is complex & difficult," he tweeted.

"It requires carefully balancing interventions to control disease spread, & the potential impacts of the interventions, incl social & economic impacts. This is especially hard in the context of uncertainty," he added.  

ALSO READ: Coronavirus: China says 7,711 infected, 170 dead

"I would really like to appreciate the people of China, especially health care workers caring for sick patients, and the Chinese authorities for their best efforts to control this outbreak," Kasai said.

He said the WHO "will continue to work closely with China, as well as keep other countries and the public informed about what we know, and what we don't know."

"We will also continue to provide support to countries to step up their preparation and response capacities," Kasai added.