BERLIN: World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus on Wednesday called the ongoing global outbreak of the new coronavirus a "pandemic."

It is the first time for the WHO to use the word pandemic to describe an epidemic since it did so for a new strain of influenza in 2009.

Noting that the WHO has been assessing the coronavirus outbreak around the clock, Tedros said in a press briefing, "We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction."

The WHO therefore made the assessment that the outbreak "can be characterized as a pandemic," he said, pointing out that this is the first pandemic caused by a coronavirus.

The WHO has been in "full response mode" since it was notified of the first cases of the new coronavirus, which originated in China, and has "called every day for countries to take urgent and aggressive action," he added.

"I remind all countries that we are calling on you to activate and scale up your emergency response mechanisms," Tedros said.

JIJI Press