World Health Organization declares coronavirus a pandemic

The mortality rate of the coronavirus is ‘10 times’ that of the seasonal flu, said Anthony Fauci, director at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
World Health Organization declares coronavirus a pandemic
The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Wednesday that the coronavirus outbreak can now officially be classified as a pandemic.
According to the head of the WHO's emergencies program, Dr. Mike Ryan, the organization's use of the word pandemic to describe the outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, does not change its response.
Ryan also told a news conference that the situation in Iran was "very serious" and the agency would like to see more surveillance and more care for the sick.
The global outbreak of COVID-19 that started in the central Chinese city of Wuhan has infected more than 125,000 worldwide, with at least 4,600 dead. More than half of those afflicted have recovered.
The mortality rate of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-nCoV-2), also known as "China pneumonia" is "10 times" that of the seasonal flu, said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a congressional hearing.