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11.03.2020 back forward

WHO Declares Pandemic

Mask (Source: Romeolu / Shutterstock)

On 11 March 2020 the Director-General of WHO officially declares the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak to be a pandemic. Europe is the epicentre of the pandemic, reporting over 40% of the confirmed cases worldwide. Previously, on 30 January 2020, WHO classified the outbreak of the novel coronavirus as a public health emergency of international concern – WHO’s highest level of alert. On 31 December 2019, the Chinese agencies informed WHO for the first time about cases of pneumonia with an unknown cause in the Chinese city of Wuhan.