China first informed the WHO about cases of the new virus in late December. 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, Switzerland, on Thursday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted the worrisome spread of the virus between people outside China. On Thursday, France confirmed that a doctor who was in contact with a patient with the new virus later became infected. Meanwhile, the US and South Korea confirmed their first cases of person-to-person spread of the virus.

Source: Taipei Times January 31, 2020 15:56 UTC