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News World WHO: Threat of coronavirus pandemic 'has become very real'

WHO: Threat of coronavirus pandemic 'has become very real'

The threat of a pandemic has become very real for the coronavirus that has crossed into 110 countries with more than 100,000 cases, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday. "Now that the virus has a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become very real," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed in his comments.

Reuters WORLD
Published March 09,2020
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WHO: THREAT OF CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC HAS BECOME VERY REAL

The coronavirus is closer to causing a pandemic but outbreaks in countries can still be controlled through a combination of containment and mitigation measures, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

"Now that the virus has a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become very real," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, told a news conference. "But it would be the first pandemic that could be controlled. The bottom line is we are not at the mercy of the virus."

Four countries account for 93% of the nearly 110,000 cases worldwide, Tedros said. "We are encouraged that Italy is taking aggressive measures to contain its epidemic and we hope that those measures prove effective in the coming days," he added.