Coronavirus has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The virus, which began in China in late December, has now affected 114 countries. More than 118,000 cases and 4,200 deaths have been reported worldwide.
WHO had previously called COVID-19 a world health emergency but was hesitant to label it a pandemic.
"Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly," said WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a press briefing. "It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death."
Ghebreyesus noted that 90 percent of cases are in just four countries: China (80,955 cases), Italy (10,149 cases), Iran (8,042 cases) and the Republic of Korea (7,755 cases). In addition, 57 countries have reported 10 cases or less and 81 countries have not reported any cases. China and the Republic of Korea also have been seeing a decline in cases recently. WHO has created a Situation Dashboard to track all cases on a country-by-country basis, which is updated daily.
He applauded the measures taken in Italy, Israel and the Republic of Korea to slow the virus and called on all countries to take urgent and aggressive action. Italy has implemented a total lockdown of the country. Meanwhile, Israel is requiring a 14-day quarantine for anyone entering the country and South Korea has created a mass testing program, which includes drive-through booths in the city of Goyang.
"Even those countries with community transmission or larger clusters can turn the tide on this virus. Several countries have demonstrated that this virus can be suppressed and controlled," said Ghebreyesus. "The challenge for many countries who are now dealing with large clusters or community transmission is not whether they can do the same, it's whether they will."
To help contain the virus, Ghebreyesus urged countries to find, isolate and treat every case, as well as trace all instances of infectious contact. He said nations must scale up their emergency-response mechanisms and develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent infections, save lives and minimize the impact of the virus.
"We know that these measures are taking a heavy toll on societies and economies. All countries must strike a fine balance between protecting health, minimizing economic and social disruption, and respecting human rights," said Ghebreyesus. "This is not just a public-health crisis. It is a crisis that will touch every sector, so every sector and every individual must be involved in the fight."
