Global risk from coronavirus high – WHO

The World Health Organization said on Monday the global risk from the deadly coronavirus in China was “high,” admitting an error in its previous reports that said it was “moderate.”

The United Nations health agency said in a situation report published late Sunday that the risk was “very high in China, high at the regional level and high at the global level.”

In a footnote, the WHO said there had been an “error” in previous communications published last week which “incorrectly,” said the global risk was “moderate.”

Asked for more detail, WHO spokesperson, Fadela Chaib, said only that it was “an error in the wording.”

READ ALSO: 2,700 cases of coronavirus confirmed in China, death toll rises to 80

The WHO on Thursday stopped short of declaring the virus an international public health emergency — a rare designation used only for the most severe outbreaks that could trigger more concerted international action.

WHO chief, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is visiting China this week to discuss further action to contain the virus, on Thursday said: “This is an emergency in China, but it has not yet become a global health emergency.”

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