The coronavirus outbreak can still be beaten, the World Health Organization said on Monday, insisting it was premature to declare it a pandemic even though it had the potential to reach that level.
China has so far reported a total of 77,362 cases of COVID-19 and 2,618 deaths. But new cases, especially outside the epicenter of Hubei province and its capital Wuhan, have been much lower in recent days. Outside mainland China, the outbreak has spread to some 29 countries and territories, with a death toll of about two dozen.
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"The key message that should give all countries hope, courage and confidence is that this virus can be contained, indeed there are many countries that have done exactly that," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference in Geneva.
"Using the word 'pandemic' now does not fit the facts but may certainly cause fear," he added as the number of cases continued to mount internationally and financial markets spun lower.
"We must focus on containment while doing everything we can to prepare for a potential pandemic."
Tedros said a sudden increase in cases in Italy, Iran and South Korea were "deeply concerning" but for now authorities were not seeing an uncontained global spread of the virus or witnessing widespread serious cases or deaths.
The WHO already declared a public health emergency of international concern, its "highest level of alarm", last month when there were fewer than 100 cases outside China and 8 cases of human-to-human transmission of the COVID-19 virus that started in China.
"Does this virus have pandemic potential? Absolutely, it has," Tedros said. "Are we there yet? From our assessment, not yet."
WHO emergencies program head Dr. Mike Ryan said: "With regard to Iran, again, a little like was originally the case in China, we need to be very careful in the first wave of infections in any newly affected country, because we may only be detecting severe cases and the deaths would be over-represented."
WHO declared the novel coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China, in December a public health emergency of international concern, known as a PHEIC, on Jan. 30. The designation, which remains in place, was aimed at helping countries with weaker health systems shore up their defense, especially in Africa.
Also on Monday, Countries around the world are stepping up efforts to prevent a pandemic of the flu-like virus.
The White House said more than $1 billion would go toward developing a vaccine, with other funds earmarked for therapeutics and the stockpiling of personal protective equipment such as masks.
The US and South Korean militaries said on Monday they may cut back joint training due to mounting concerns about the spreading coronavirus, in one of the first concrete signs of the virus's fallout on global US military activities.
South Korea has the most virus cases in Asia outside China and reported its ninth death and 60 new cases on Tuesday, for a total of 893 cases.
Italy on Monday became the new frontline in the fight against the coronavirus with 220 cases reported from just three on Friday. The death toll in Italy stands at seven.
Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Afghanistan, and Iraq reported their first new coronavirus cases, all in people who had been to Iran where the toll was 12 dead and 61 infected. Most of the Iran infections were in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Qom.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged countries to prevent the novel coronavirus epidemic from spiraling into a crisis with "dramatic consequences" for global health and the world economy.
Guterres, speaking to reporters during a visit to the World Health Organization center for managing emergencies, called for fully funding the WHO's appeal of $675 million to cover its overall response for three months.
"All countries - and this is now a problem that is affecting many countries in the world - all countries must do everything to be prepared," Guterres said.
"The disease it's still possible to contain but if some fail, if some do not do everything that is needed, this can still become out of control with dramatic consequences in global health and the global economy," Guterres said.
