The World Health Organisation declared Wednesday night that the coronavirus outbreak spreading around the globe can now be characterised as a pandemic, "not a word to use lightly or carelessly", said WHO Director Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
He said the WHO is "deeply concerned by the alarming levels of spread and severity" of the outbreak. "All countries can still change the course of this pandemic. If countries detect, test, treat, isolate, trace and mobilise their people in the response."
[link url="https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19—9-march-2020"]WHO D-G's statement[/link]