The death toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak in mainland China has risen to 1,113, the number of confirmed cases has reached 44,653, the Chinese state health committee said on Wednesday.
A day before, the death count was 1,016 and the number of confirmed cases 42,638.
China’s coronavirus outbreak poses a “very grave threat for the rest of the world” and should be viewed as “Public Enemy Number 1”, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO said.
“A virus can have more powerful consequences than any terrorist action. If the world doesn’t want to wake up and consider this enemy virus as Public Enemy number 1, I don’t think we will learn from our lessons,” head of WHO said.
“The first vaccine could be ready in 18 months. So we have to do everything today using the available weapons to fight this virus while preparing for the long term using the preparations for the vaccines,” Tedros said.
“With 99% of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world,” he told more than 400 researchers and national authorities.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said countries should take steps to detect and contain the virus, especially in at least 30 countries with weaker health systems.
The virus has been named COVID-19, for coronavirus disease 2019, with no geographical association, he said.
(With ANI Inputs)