07/03/2020
Coronavirus in Perspective
As of February 24, 2020, 79,757 cases of COVID-19 had been diagnosed, leading to 2,629 deaths. Of these, 77,345 cases and 2,593 deaths occurred in China – leaving just over 2,400 cases and under 50 deaths in the rest of the world. By comparison, the World Health Organization estimates that annual influenza epidemics result in 3-5 million cases of severe illness and 250,000-500,000 deaths yearly. To reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19, the World Health Organization’s primary advice is to take the same precautions you would with the flu, including avoiding contact with sick people and frequent hand washing. For more general information and advice from the WHO, please visit https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019.
On 31 December 2019, WHO was informed of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. WHO is closely monitoring this event and is in active communication with counterparts in China. In line with standard protocols for any public health event, an i...
