BREAKING: WHO declares Coronavirus a Pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, as coronavirus cases continued to rise rapidly across the world.

Speaking during a media briefing in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organization was “deeply concerned” by the alarming spread of the virus and the level of inaction in some countries. At the time, more than 118,000 cases and over 4,000 deaths had been recorded in 114 countries.

Tedros noted that the declaration of a pandemic did not mean the fight against the virus was over, stressing that countries could still change the course of the outbreak through aggressive testing, treatment, isolation, and contact tracing.

He urged governments worldwide to adopt a “whole-of-government and whole-of-society” approach to contain the disease and protect lives. The WHO chief also emphasized the importance of preparedness, public health measures, political leadership, and global cooperation in tackling the crisis.

COVID-19 later became one of the deadliest global health emergencies in modern history, affecting millions of people and disrupting economies and healthcare systems worldwide.

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