GENEVA, March 6. /TASS/. The World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated during a briefing on Friday that the number of people infected with novel coronavirus in the world has nearly reached 100,000.
"In the past 24 hours, 2,736 cases of COVID-19 were reported from 47 countries and territories. There is now a total of 98,023 reported cases globally and 3,380 deaths," he stated. "We are now on the verge of reaching 100,000 confirmed cases."
"As COVID-19 cases increase, we are continuing to recommend that all countries make containment their highest priority," the WHO chief stressed. "We continue to call on countries to find, test, isolate and care for every case, and to trace every contact."
"Slowing down the COVID-19 epidemic saves lives, and it buys time for preparedness and for research and development. Every day we can slow down the epidemic is another day hospitals can prepare themselves for cases," he noted.
"So far, WHO has received applications for review and approval of 40 diagnostic tests, 20 vaccines are in development and many clinical trials of therapeutics are underway," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus informed.
"WHO has been monitoring the potential risk of a disruption to medicines supplies as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic," the director general noted. "China is a major producer of active pharmaceutical ingredients and the intermediate products that are used to produce medicines in other countries. WHO has focused on the most essential medicines that are critical for primary healthcare and emergencies," he continued. "WHO is working closely with industry associations, regulators and other partners to monitor this risk, and so far we have not identified any imminent specific shortages."
"WHO has developed a list of over 20 essential medical devices that countries need to manage COVID-19 patients, including ventilators and oxygen supply systems," he stated.
In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. According to Chinese authorities, about 80,500 people have been infected with the virus in the country. The death toll has exceeded 3,000, while about 53,500 patients have recovered. WHO declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus a global health emergency and named the virus COVID-19. Cases of coronavirus have been reported in over 80 countries, including Russia. The largest outbreaks of COVID-19 outside of China have been detected in South Korea, Iran, Italy and Japan.