It Is Too Early to Declare a Coronavirus Pandemic, Says WHO

It is still too early to declare a pandemic concerning the novel coronavirus, as 130 countries have yet to report any cases of the disease. This was announced by World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a press conference in Geneva.

“We appreciate that people are now discussing whether the situation is a pandemic or not. We monitor the situation every day and analyze the data. The WHO cannot declare a COVID-19 pandemic until all evidence supports such a designation,” Ghebreyesus stated.

The WHO Director-General emphasized that out of a total of 89,913 cases of the virus worldwide, 90% are recorded in China, with the majority confined to a single province. “We know people are afraid, but more than 130 countries have yet to report any cases of COVID-19,” he added.

It is worth recalling that Chinese authorities informed the WHO of the spread of an unknown virus in Hubei province on December 31, 2019. Later, experts identified it as a novel coronavirus.