The U.N. health agency defines an international emergency as an “extraordinary event” that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a co-ordinated international response. Eighteen other countries have since reported cases, as scientists race to understand how exactly the virus is spreading and how severe it is. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted the worrisome spread of the virus between people outside China. There have been cases reported of the infectious virus spreading to others in a household or workplace in China and elsewhere. Sign up for our newsletters to get today's top stories, your favourite columnists and lots more in your inbox Sign Up NowIn comparison, the SARS virus killed about 10% of people who caught it.

Source: thestar January 30, 2020 01:09 UTC