WHO describes coronavirus outbreak as pandemic

Director general of the WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

The World Health Organisation sees the outbreak of the new coronavirus as a pandemic, Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.

“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 Covid-19 can be characterised as a pandemic,” he told a news conference.

The use of the word pandemic does not change its response, the head of the WHO’s emergencies programme said.

Dr Mike Ryan said the situation in Iran was “very serious” and the agency would like to see more surveillance and more care for the sick.