WHO Holds Off Decision On Declaring China's Coronavirus International Emergency

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2020) The World Health Organization (WHO) needs to gather more information to make a decision on whether China's new coronavirus outbreak should be declared a global emergency or not, and the Emergency Committee will therefore convene again on Thursday, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom has said.

It became known earlier on Wednesday that China's death toll from pneumonia, caused by the new type of coronavirus, had climbed to 17.

"There was an excellent discussion during the committee today, but it was also clear that to proceed, we need more information.

I have decided to ask the Emergency Committee to meet again tomorrow to continue the discussion & the Chair has agreed with that request," Adhanom said, as quoted by the WHO.

The mysterious type of pneumonia broke out in China's Wuhan in late December and has since been confirmed by China and the WHO to be a contagious new strain of coronavirus. The virus has also been registered in Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and Japan.

Wuhan authorities announced earlier in the day that a temporary ban would be imposed on local residents to prevent the virus spread.