March 11 (UPI) — The World Health Organization characterized the coronavirus outbreak as a global pandemic on Wednesday, as new cases spiked in Iran, Italy and other popular locations.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters the world health body had been “assessing this outbreak around the clock” and said “we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction.
“We have therefore made the assessment that can be characterized as a pandemic.”
The characterization does not activate any specific action, he explained, noting that it “doesn’t change what WHO is doing, and it doesn’t change what countries should do.”
Rather, the gravity of using the “pandemic” characterization, which is defined as a worldwide epidemic, is intended to spur more decisive action from nations which have been balking at taking the coronavirus outbreak seriously, Ghebreyesus said.
The WHO chief also urged all nations to “activate and scale up” emergency response mechanisms, communicate about the risks and protections and find, isolate, test and treat every case.
There are presently more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, the WHO said Wednesday. The death toll is near 4,300.
Asia
Iran’s health ministry reported a new daily record Wednesday — nearly 1,000 new patients and 63 deaths.
The figures bring Iran’s case total to 9,000, ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said. He urged Iranians to stay at home and avoid unnecessary travel.
At a cabinet session, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said officials are “doing their best to minimize the COVID-19 toll on the economy and people’s lives.” He asked people to avoid traveling during the upcoming Nowruz holidays, or Persian New Year.
In China, Beijing reported only 24 new cases and 22 new deaths, all in the original hotspot of Hubei province.
Europe
The number of cases surpassed 10,000 in locked-down Italy — including more than 500 new cases.
Civil Protection Chief Angelo Borrelli said late Tuesday Italy’s death toll was up 168 since Monday.
British cases climbed by 83, including six deaths. Neatly 27,500 people have been tested.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that up to 70 percent of her country’s population could be infected over time if the spread is not stopped.
“The virus is here, we all have to understand that, and our political actions will follow from what scientists and experts tell us,” she told reporters in Berlin.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, 1,296 Germans were infected as of Wednesday, with three confirmed deaths.