Today, Wednesday, March 11, 2020,
the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the rapidly spreading coronavirus
outbreak a pandemic. A pandemic as defined by A Dictionary of Epideiology as
"an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a
very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large
number of people." An epidemic as defined "an increase, often sudden,
in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected" in a
region.
At a briefing in Geneva, the WHO
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared: "This is the first pandemic caused by coronavirus.
"WHO has been
in full response mode since we were notified of the first cases.
"And we have
called every day for countries to take urgent and aggressive action. We have
rung the alarm bell loud and clear.
"In the past
two weeks, the number of cases of COVID-19 outside China has increased 13-fold,
and the number of affected countries has tripled.
"In the days
and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths,
and the number of affected countries climb even higher.
"The WHO is
"deeply concerned, both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and
by the alarming levels of inaction" by world leaders in response to the
outbreak, Tedros said.
"We have
therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a
pandemic," he declared.
As of today, 114
countries have reported that 118,000 people have contracted the coronavirus
(Covid-19). The WHO reports: "For most people, COVID-19 infection will
cause mild illness; however, it can make some people very ill and, in some
people, it can be fatal." A recent WHO report that draws on more than
70,000 cases in China identifies the following as common symptoms of
Covid-19:
- Fever in 88% of cases
- Dry cough in 68% of cases
- Fatigue in 38% of cases
- Sputum/phlegm production in 33% of
cases
- Shortness of breath in 20% of cases
- Sore throat or headache in 13% of
cases.
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