WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus  (Photo: Reuters)

He said the WHO has been in full response mode since it was notified of the first cases.

Ghebreyesus said that describing the situation as a pandemic does not change the WHO’s assessment of the threat posed by this virus, and it does not change what the WHO is doing or what each country should do. He called for a comprehensive approach which puts containment of the coronavirus foremost.