Coronavirus ‘rapid escalation and global spread’ has WHO chief ‘deeply concerned,’ he says

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The aggressive spread of the novel coronavirus has officials with the World Health Organization (WHO) on edge.

During a virtual press conference at the WHO’s Geneva headquarters on Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he is “deeply concerned” about the “rapid escalation and global spread” of the virus.

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“Over the past five weeks, we have witnessed a near exponential growth in the number of new cases, reaching almost every country, territory, and area,” Tedros said, adding that officials expect to see 1 million confirmed cases and 50,000 deaths in the “next few days.”

Though scientists have learned an “enormous amount” about the virus in the past few months — after knowing “almost nothing” about it following the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China, he noted — the number of unknowns related to the virus, including its “behavior,” makes controlling the outbreak that much harder, he said.

“Every day, our staff talk to thousands of experts around the world to collect and distill that evidence and experience,” he added. “We constantly review and update our guidance as we learn more, and we are working to adapt it for specific contexts.”

Also speaking at the news conference, according to CNBC, was Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on the outbreak.

“COVID-19 is a real threat," she said. “It is a real threat to everyone on the planet.”

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As of Thursday morning, the novel coronavirus has infected more than 951,901 people across 180 countries and territories, resulting in over 48,284 deaths.

In the U.S., all 50 states plus the District of Columbia have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, tallying over 216,722 illnesses and at least 5,137 deaths.