COVID-19 more severe than influenza, says WHO chief

The World Health Organization has said the novel coronavirus-caused COVID-19 disease does not transmit as efficiently as influenza, because with influenza, people who are infected but not yet sick are major drivers of transmission.

As the WHO gathers more data, the organization understands more about the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes.

Speaking at Tuesday's media briefing, Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "Evidence from China is that only 1 percent of reported COVID-19 cases do not have symptoms and most of those cases develop symptoms within two days.

"The COVID-19 causes more severe disease than seasonal influenza," Tedros said, adding "while many people globally have built up immunity to seasonal flu strains, COVID-19 is a new coronavirus to which no one has immunity."

At the moment, there is no vaccine and no specific treatment for the new virus. However, clinical trials of therapeutics are now being done and more than 20 vaccines are in development, he said.

Tedros said while containment for seasonal flu is just not possible, it is for COVID-19.

"We don't bother with contact tracing for seasonal flu – but countries should do it for COVID-19, because it will prevent infections and save lives," he said.

Globally, about 3.4 percent of people with reported COVID-19 cases have died. In comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1 percent of those infected.

In the past 24 hours, China reported 129 cases, the lowest number since Jan 20. Outside China, 1,848 COVID-19 cases were reported in 48 countries, of which 80 percent of cases were in three countries: South Korea, Iran, and Italy.

"As one epidemic looks like ending, another is becoming increasingly complex," he said. "The actions these newly affected countries take today will be the difference between a handful of cases and a larger cluster."