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World Health Organisation declares COVID-19 a ‘pandemic’

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially declared the coronavirus a global pandemic.

WHO’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the number of cases outside of China had increased 13-fold in the past two weeks, but added “all countries can change the course of this pandemic”.

It comes as the death rate attributed to the disease passed 6 per cent in Italy, the worst-hit country in Europe, where there are now hundreds of people in intensive care, the WHO said in a press conference.

Dr Tedros maintained the use of the word pandemic to describe the outbreak does not change the organisation’s response.

“We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction,” he said.

The coronavirus, which emerged in China in December, has spread around the world, halting industry, bringing flights to a standstill, closing schools and forcing the postponement of sporting events and concerts.

The WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern, its “highest level of alarm”, on January 30 when there were fewer than 100 cases of COVID-19 outside China and eight cases of human-to-human transmission of the disease.

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Now there are more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries and 4,291 people have died, Dr Tedros said, with the numbers expected to climb.

He called on all countries to take “urgent and aggressive action”.

“We cannot say this loudly enough, or clearly enough, or often enough: all countries can still change the course of this pandemic,” he said.

“Ready your hospitals, protect and train your health workers, and let’s all look out for each other because we need each other.”

Illustrating the severity and speed of the virus’ spread, Italian officials said on Wednesday evening (local time) that coronavirus cases in the country grew to 12,462 infections and 827 deaths.

Dr Mike Ryan, WHO’s emergencies chief, gave a blunt warning about the urgency of the public health emergency.

(With Agency Inputs) 

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