The World Health Organization (WHO) characterized the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) as a pandemic on Wednesday. As per the WHO, a pandemic is declared when a new disease for which people do not have immunity spreads around the world beyond expectations.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesussaid that the organization is deeply concerned by the alarming levels of the coronavirus spread, severity and inaction, and expects to see the number of cases, deaths and affected countries climb even higher. Therefore, they made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.
The Director-General further asserted, “Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death.” “This is not just a public health crisis, it is a crisis that will touch every sector – so every sector and every individual must be involved in the fight,” Tedros said urging everyone’s cooperation.
According to the World Health Organization, there are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives due to the outbreak.
According to the WHO, the common signs of COVID-19 include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
