WHO Declared Coronavirus A Pandemic, Here¡¯s Everything You Need To Know

WHO - World Health Organization declared coronavirus as a pandemic. The virus is spreading rapidly across countries. Coronavirus has reached alarming levels with 4000 deaths all over the world and is impacting people's day to day life as well.

The WHO also shared that Italy and Iran were now on the frontline of the disease and other countries would be joining soon.

AFP

The updates of coronavirus:

WHO director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, ¡°WHO is deeply concerned about the alarming levels of the coronavirus spread, severity and inaction & expects to see a number of cases, deaths & affected countries climb even higher. Therefore, we made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterised as pandemic.¡±

"WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction"-@DrTedros #COVID19

¡ª World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 11, 2020

The WHO Chief further said, the disease is designated as pandemic did not mean that the situation is hopeless, ¡°All countries can still change the course of this pandemic.¡±

AFP

While addressing the conference on Wednesday, the World Health Organization chief have asked the global community to redouble efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak, saying aggressive measures could still play a big part in limiting the spread of the virus.

.@WHO is deeply concerned by the alarming levels of the #coronavirus spread, severity & inaction, & expects to see the number of cases, deaths & affected countries climb even higher. Therefore, we made the assessment that #COVID19 can be characterized as a pandemic. https://t.co/97XSmyigME pic.twitter.com/gSqFm947D8

¡ª Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) March 11, 2020

What is the meaning of Pandemic:

By definition pandemic is a worldwide spread of a disease or an infection. The term is associated with the geographic spread and not any characteristic change in the infection itself.

As an organization WHO officials have hinted that they may use the word ¡®pandemic¡¯ as a defining term but added that it does not carry any legal significance. However, the term pandemic cannot be confused with an epidemic or an outbreak.

Difference between pandemic and epidemic

Epidemics affect fewer numbers of people and are limited to a certain region. An outbreak is actually considered a first part of an epidemic. Epidemic affects a large number of the population, a region or a country as well.

A pandemic is when a disease starts rapidly spreading across the world and is not restricted to a community or region.

There have been 118,000 cases of coronavirus from 114 countries and 4291 people have died so far all across the world.

The deadly virus emerged in China last December and has spread throughout the world. This has led to non-production and halting markets, flights being standstill, prompting the latest oil price war, lock down in entire nations and closing of schools all across the world.