Explainer | Coronavirus is now classified as a pandemic
- The World Health Organisation on Wednesday declared Covid-19 a global pandemic
- The designation is not a reflection of its severity, but rather that the outbreak is spreading across the globe
By the time the WHO’s director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement, the virus had affected 114 countries on every continent except Antarctica, claimed more than 4,900 lives and sickened nearly 150,000 people.
The designation is not a reflection of its severity, but rather that the outbreak is spreading widely across the globe – in contrast with an epidemic, which means an outbreak is spreading within a specific community.
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 characterised as a pandemic.”
However, he said WHO officials believe it is possible that the pandemic could be contained, and urged countries to take immediate action.
“We cannot say this loudly enough, or clearly enough, or often enough: all countries can still change the course of this pandemic,” he said.
What does the pandemic declaration mean?
