WHO calls coronavirus a pandemic as Britain and Italy strengthen their defenses

GENEVA / LONDON (Reuters) – The World Health Organization on Wednesday described the coronavirus epidemic as a pandemic as Britain and Italy announced multibillion war chests dollars to fight the disease.

The United States has also said it is considering new measures to fight the virus that appeared in China in December and has spread around the world, disrupting the industry, failing flights , closing schools and forcing the postponement of events.

"We are deeply concerned at both the alarming levels of spread and severity and the alarming levels of inaction," director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva.

"So we felt COVID-19 could be called a pandemic," he said using the official name of the coronavirus.

There are now more than 118,000 infections in 114 countries and 4,291 people have died from the virus, and the number is expected to increase, said Tedros.

The use of the word pandemic does not change the WHO response, said Dr. Mike Ryan, head of the Geneva-based agency’s emergency program.

WHO officials have reported for weeks that they could use the word "pandemic", but said it had no legal meaning. The WHO classified the epidemic as a "public health emergency of international concern" on January 30, triggering an increase in the coordination of the global response.

"The use of this term (pandemic) underscores, however, the importance for countries around the world to cooperate and openly open to each other and to come together as a united front in our efforts to master this situation, "said Nathalie MacDermott, expert at King's College London.

Mark Woolhouse, professor of epidemiology of infectious diseases at the British University of Edinburgh, added: "It is now clear that COVID-19 is going to be with us for a considerable period of time and the actions we undertake must be actions with which we can live. an extended period. "

WAR BOXES

Prior to comments from WHO, Italy – the European country most affected by the virus – and Britain announced that they were allocating large sums to fight influenza.

Britain launched a 30 billion pound ($ 38.54 billion) economic stimulus package as new finance minister Rishi Sunak said the economy was facing a "significant impact" "of the spread of the virus, although it was likely to be temporary.

"Up to one fifth of the working age population may have to be on sick leave at any time. And corporate supply chains are disrupted worldwide, "said Sunak in an annual budget speech to Parliament.

He announced a package of measures to help businesses facing tight cash flow, including a year-long suspension of property tax paid by small businesses. The health system and other public services would receive an additional £ 5 billion to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Last week, the Italian cabinet said it would need 7.5 billion euros (8.46 billion dollars) to fight the virus, but since then, the emergency has escalated. 39; is intensified and the nation, already close to recession, is under control, with a death toll of 827.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte earmarked $ 28.3 billion on Wednesday to mitigate the economic impact. He said already tight traffic restrictions could be further tightened after the northern Lombardy region, centered on the Italian financial capital, Milan, demanded the closure of all stores and the closure of public transport.

The United States, where the S&P 500 stock index fell nearly 4%, said its measures could include tax breaks that could channel hundreds of billions of dollars into the U.S. economy.

"The bottom line is, it will get worse," said Anthony Fauci, director of the United States National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases.

Ryan, of WHO, said the situation in Iran was "very serious" and that the agency would like to see more surveillance and more care for the sick. Iran has reported 237 deaths from the virus.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that up to 70% of the population is likely to be infected as the virus spreads around the world in the absence of a cure.

The stock rally rebounded on Wednesday despite the Bank of England's move. Money markets fully assess a further 10 basis point drop by the European Central Bank at its meeting on Thursday.

As of Tuesday's close, $ 8.1 trillion had been cleared from global stock markets during the recent rout.

But all the news was not bad. Some key industries in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicenter of the epidemic and a hub for auto manufacturing, were told they could return to work Wednesday, one day after the President Xi Jinping in the city for the first time since the start of the epidemic.