The deadly coronavirus is now a pandemic, the World Health Organisation has declared.
In a tweet, WHO said that its alarming levels of spread and severity made the world health body declare it a pandemic.
“WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction. We have therefore made the assessment that #COVID19 can be characterized as a pandemic,” said WHO Director- General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
"WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction"-@DrTedros #COVID19
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 11, 2020
A pandemic is a disease occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.
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“Describing the situation as a pandemic does not change WHO’s assessment of the threat posed by this coronavirus. It doesn’t change what WHO is doing, and it doesn’t change what countries should do,” he added.
Globally, more than 118,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in 114 countries and 4,291 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
At least 64,000 people have recovered from the illness around the world according to John Hopkins University.
Of the 118,000 cases reported globally in 114 countries, more than 90 percent of cases are in just four countries, and two of those – China and the Republic of Korea – have significantly declining epidemics.
81 countries have not reported any cases, and 57 countries have reported 10 cases or less.
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