COVID-19 is now officially a pandemic, the World Health Organization announced. The world health body raised the status of Coronavirus from a global health emergency to a pandemic given its rapid spread to numerous countries and the number of fatalities. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the declaration 71 days after the disease was first reported in China.
“This is the first pandemic caused by a coronavirus,” Ghebreyesus said. “WHO has been in full response mode since we were notified of the first cases. And we have called every day for countries to take urgent and aggressive action. We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear.”
According to WHO, Coronavirus has spread to 114 countries and infected 126,000 people with over 4,000 others dead. Ghebreyesus said escalating the status of COVID-19 as a pandemic does not alter WHO’s evaluation of the viral disease. “It doesn’t change what WHO is doing, and it doesn’t change what countries should do,” he said.
WHO revealed that there are over 70,000 coronavirus cases in China, almost 10,000 cases in Italy, nearly 9,000 cases in Iran, and more than 7,700 cases in South Korea with the United States and other countries having significant number of outbreaks.
While global health agencies report that COVID-19 is more fatal in elderly people and those with underlying health conditions, they advise that it can be beaten by constant washing of hands and observing basic hygiene. They said the disease can be prevented if people wash their hands with soap for up to a minute, while those infected can avoid infecting others by wearing face masks.
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