World Health Organisation Raises Novel Coronavirus’s Global Risk Assessment To Highest Level

With the Governments across the world jostling to contain the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 28 February announced its global risk assessment of the disease to the highest level, reports The Hindu.

The development comes after the epidemic spread to sub-Saharan Africa and had spooked the financial markets worldwide. The continued surge in the number of cases in new nations pushed the WHO to escalate the risk assessment. The virus has now spread to all continents except Antarctica.

The outbreak has led to over 2,800 deaths worldwide and infected more than 83,000 individuals, of whom a majority hail from China. It should be noted that the disease had emerged from an animal market in China's Wuhan city in Hubei province in December of 2019.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that China reported 44 deaths and 327 new cases on 28 February, which is the lowest tally in over a month. The development offers some hope towards the containment of the disease.