Window of opportunity to stem coronavirus outbreak ‘narrowing’ —WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the window of opportunity to stem the deadly outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic was “narrowing” amid concern about a surge in cases with no clear link to China, including in a range of countries in the Middle East.

The world body is concerned about the number of coronavirus cases with no clear epidemiological link, its director general said on Saturday.

“Although the total number of cases outside China remains relatively small, we are concerned about the number of cases with no clear epidemiological link, such as travel history to China or contact with a confirmed case,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Twitter.

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Meanwhile, Iran’s health ministry reported one more death among 10 new cases of the infection, known as COVID-19 which brought the toll in Iran to five and the number of infections to 28 on Saturday.

On Friday, Health officials in Lebanon have confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the country after a woman arriving from Iran was found to be positive with reports revealing that two other suspected cases were being investigated.

Reports say the woman arrived in Lebanon from the Iranian holy city of Qom, where several infections and deaths were reported this week.

In a related development, six people were tested positive in Italy for coronavirus, in northern Lombardy region; the first known cases of local transmission of the potentially deadly illness in the country.

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