WHO Warns of Potential Coronavirus to Become a Global Pandemic

The greatest concern now is caused by the spread of the new Coronavirus outside China, said the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Ghebreyesus, warning the possibility of it becoming a global pandemic.

“It is time to prepare. It is time to do everything you would do in preparing for a pandemic,” Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing at the agency’s headquarters in Geneva. “No country should assume it won’t get cases. That could be a fatal mistake. This virus does not respect borders.”

“We’re at a decisive point,” he said. “The epidemics in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Italy and the Republic of Korea demonstrate what this virus is capable of.”

Ghebreyesus reiterated that the virus has “pandemic potential,” adding, “this is not a time for fear. This is the time for taking action now to prevent infections and save lives now.”

“With the right measures, it can be contained,” he said, adding countries should begin thinking about whether they have proper isolation units, medical supplies and other vital equipment.