NEW YORK: The number of coronavirus cases outside China has outpaced those inside the country for the first time, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), a UN agency. “The sudden increases of cases in Italy, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Korea are deeply concerning,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a briefing in Geneva on Wednesday. He stated that there were now cases linked to Iran in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and Oman, and to Italy in Algeria, Austria, Croatia, Germany, Spain and Switzerland.
On Wednesday, Pakistan also confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus, in patients who had recently travelled to Iran.
“Yesterday, a joint team between WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control arrived in Rome to review the public health measures that have been put in place and provide technical support,” Tedros, the WHO chief, informed, saying that over the weekend a WHO team will travel to Iran to provide support.
One of the biggest challenges the UN health agency faces is that too many affected countries are still not sharing data with WHO. “WHO cannot provide appropriate public health guidance without disaggregated data and detailed line lists,” Tedros said.
