New cases "very concerning" but coronavirus is not pandemic, WHO says

The World Health Organization have said on Monday (February 24) that the coronavirus outbreak was not out of control globally nor causing large-scale deaths and so it is too early to speak of a pandemic.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, told a news conference in Geneva that when it comes to the spread of the new coronavirus "Using the word pandemic does not fit the facts".

On Iran, Dr. Mike Ryan, head of WHO's emergencies programme, said that the high death rate may reflect detection of only severe cases and not mild infections at the start of the outbreak.

A WHO team is due to arrive in Iran on Tuesday, he added.