As coronavirus cases worldwide pass 90,000, WHO chief warns ‘we are in uncharted territory’

“We have never before seen a respiratory pathogen that is capable of community transmission, but which can also be contained with the right measures,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the global health watchdog.

Investors are also bracing for the possibility that the spread of COVID-19, as the virus is formally known, could throw the global economy into recession. Its spread in China, the world’s second-biggest economy and a major manufacturer, was followed by factory closures that severely impacted global supply chains.

At least 80,151 cases have been identified in mainland China to date, killing 2,943 people.

Major clusters outside China

Cases outside mainland China appear to be spreading faster than inside, as the outbreak shows signs of stabilizing in parts of the country, following weeks of restrictions and emergency measures. The WHO’s Ghebreyesus said on Monday that “in the last 24 hours, there were almost nine times more COVID-19 cases reported outside China than inside.”

According to China’s National Health Commission (NHC) confirmed cases in mainland China increased by 125 Monday. Of those cases, 114 were in Hubei, of which Wuhan is the provincial capital.

China’s two most populous cities, Shanghai and Beijing, have enforced quarantines for people who recently visited countries with significant outbreaks.

Several of Iran’s neighbors have taken steps to avoid the spread, including closing borders with the country.

Authorities in Europe are also taking early precautions. Several governments are preventing large gatherings of people in order to curb community transmission, as well as closing public spaces like the Louvre in Paris and Milan’s La Scala opera. Crowded events like the Paris half-marathon have been canceled. And one French official advised against a long-time French greeting of two kisses on the cheek to avoid close physical contact.

The European Union’s alert level for the novel coronavirus has been raised from moderate to high, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a Monday news conference. There are more than 2,000 confirmed cases in the EU, with the bulk of the outbreak happening in Italy.

The United States has also seen an uptick in cases, with more than 100 infections now identified after a surge of new patients Washington state, where six people have been killed. Four of the people who died were residents of a nursing care facility in Kirkland, in suburban Seattle, eliciting concerns that the virus may have spread within Washington in recent days or weeks. Washington remains the only state in the US where the spread of the virus has resulted in fatalities.

However, federal public health authorities have issued several calls for calm. US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said the government “knew this was coming.”

“Caution is appropriate. Preparedness is appropriate. Panic is not,” he said.

But he also advised Americans that the virus does not pose a major threat to them.

“Let’s be clear: The risk to the American people of the coronavirus remains low, according to all of the experts that we are working with across the government,” Pence said.