GENEVA, January 23. /TASS/. The World Health Organization (WHO) has abstained from declaring the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV in China a global health emergency, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday after a two-day session of the Emergency Committee.

The status of global health emergency allows to draw attention of the international community to the outbreak and mobilizes international efforts on tackling public health issues.

"It is a bit too early to consider that this is a public health emergency of international concern," Ghebreyesus said.

"May no mistake, though, this is an emergency in China. But it has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one," he said. "WHO’s risk assessment is that the outbreak is a very high risk in China, and a high risk regionally and globally," he added.

"We know that there is human-to-human transmission in China, but for now it appears limited to family groups and health workers caring for infected patients. At this time, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission outside China, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen," Ghebreyesus stressed.

"For the moment, the WHO does not recommend any broader restrictions on travel or trade," he added noting that China has taken measures that the WHO believes are appropriate. "We recommend exit screening at airports as part of a comprehensive set of containment measures. All countries should have in place measures to detect cases of coronavirus, including at health facilities," he continued. "There are a few simple things we can all do to protect ourselves and each other, like washing hands, covering your mouth and nose when you sneeze, and so on," the WHO Director-General reminded.

He admitted that "there is still a lot we don’t know." "We don’t know the source of this virus, we don’t understand how easily it spreads, and we don’t fully understand its clinical features or severity. WHO is working with our partners night and day in China and the other affected countries, at the regional level and here at headquarters to fill the gaps in our knowledge as quickly as possible," he said. "It is likely that we will see more cases in other parts of China and other countries," he added.

"Once again, I would like to thank the Government of the People’s Republic of China for its cooperation and transparency. The government has been successful in isolating and sequencing the virus very quickly, and has shared that genetic sequence with WHO and the international community," Ghebreyesus said.

On December 31, the Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a new type of pneumonia in the city of Wuhan in central China. On January 7, Chinese specialists determined the virus behind the infection — coronavirus 2019-nCoV. Doctors say that the symptoms of the new coronavirus include running nose, cough, sore throat and chest tightness. Migraines and fever are also possible, and they can last for several days. The risk group includes people with a compromised immune system, such as the elderly and children. They present with symptoms similar to those of penumonia and bronchitis.

According to latest reports, the number of infected persons in China reached 644. Eighteen people died from the coronavirus. Several cases of the new coronavirus were also confirmed in other countries - three in Thailand, two in Vietnam, one each in South Korea, Singapore, Japan and the United States.