“In the past two weeks, the number of Covid-19 cases outside of China has increased 13-fold and the number of countries affected has tripled,” wrote the World Health Organization (WHO). It has now declared the outbreak of the novel corona virus a pandemic. A pandemic is a disease outbreak that is no longer local.
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The WHO writes that 4291 people have already died. “Thousands more are fighting for their lives in clinics.” There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries. The WHO expects these numbers to increase in the coming days and weeks.
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“We have observed this outbreak around the clock and we are very concerned about the widespread spread and severity – and the frightening inactivity,” wrote the WHO. The organization points out that countries should continue to primarily try to contain the virus. Many countries have very few cases so that the spread can be stopped. The fact that the WHO is now talking about a pandemic does not change the basic strategy. Countries should continue to test suspected cases, find every case, isolate those affected and thus ensure that the pathogen does not spread.
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It was the first time that a Corona virus– Outbreak declared pandemic, said WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
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There are no official WHO criteria for when an illness should be classified as a pandemic. It is commonly understood to mean an illness that spreads unchecked across continents.
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