WHO declares Covid-19 a pandemic

The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, saying it is deeply concerned by the alarming levels of spread and inaction around the world.

The WHO's director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made the announcement in Geneva on 11 March.

The spread

The virus, which causes a disease called Covid-19, was first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December. There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and more than 4,000 people have died.

Italy has become the worst-affected country outside China, and the whole country has been placed under lockdown. Cases are rising rapidly across Europe and in the United States.

What the declaration means

Dr Tedros said the WHO had never before seen a pandemic caused by a coronavirus. He said the word pandemic should not be used lightly, but that the organisation had made the assessment that Covid-19 could be characterised as one.

He urged countries to take urgent and aggressive action, including testing, tracing contacts and isolating those infected.

The UK

In the UK, there are more than 450 confirmed cases, and eight people have died. The government is in the "contain" phase of its plan, but is expected to move to the "delay" phase soon.

On the same day, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, delivered his first Budget, including £30 billion to deal with the effects of the virus, and the Bank of England cut interest rates to 0.25 per cent.

Symptoms

The main symptoms are a high temperature and a new continuous cough. Most people have mild symptoms, but the disease can be severe for older people and those with health conditions.

People are being advised to wash their hands frequently for at least 20 seconds.

Sport and events

Sporting events and gatherings are being cancelled or held behind closed doors in many countries. In the United States, President Donald Trump has announced restrictions on travel from Europe.

A global challenge

Dr Tedros said that all countries could still change the course of the pandemic. He said this was not just a public health crisis, but a crisis that would touch every sector.

Scientists around the world are working on vaccines, but they are not expected to be available for at least a year.