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Wednesday, March 11, 2020

World Health Organization declares coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) today declared that the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has become a pandemic.


Photo Credit: Screenshot, Dr. Tedros' March 11, 2020 News Conference/Twitter feed (Fair use)

You may view the announcement at the following link:

WHO declares Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

From the Twitter feed of Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director of WHO:
"@WHO is deeply concerned by the alarming levels of the #coronavirus spread, severity & inaction, & expects to see the number of cases, deaths & affected countries climb even higher. Therefore, we made the assessment that #COVID19 can be characterized as a pandemic."

Just what is a "pandemic?" In simple terms, a pandemic results when an infectious disease spreads internationally or worldwide, as opposed to an epidemic, which may be restricted to localized areas. (Ref.: Pandemic definition )
To date, the spread of coronavirus and the disease it causes (COVID-19) since its discovery in December of 2019 has resulted in over 125,000 known cases, over 4,600 known deaths, and over 67,000 known recoveries. As of March 11, 2020 at 19:41 GMT, there have been 1109 confirmed cases and 31 deaths due to coronavirus COVID-19 in the United States.  (Ref.: Coronavirus Update)
UPDATE: According to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), as of March 10, 2020, there have been 157 confirmed cases and 2 deaths from COVID-19 in California. Those numbers do not include passengers on the Grand Princess cruise ship currently docked in Oakland, CA.

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