WHO-led team in China to travel to Wuhan

World Health chief gives latest update on global situation

The World Health Organization-led joint expert mission in China has been working in Beijing, Sichuan and Guangdong, and will travel to Wuhan on Saturday as it continues its work at the epicenter of the outbreak, according to WHO Director-General Doctor Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

On Friday the WHO announced the appointment of six special envoys on novel coronavirus pneumonia, or COVID-19, to provide strategic advice and high-level political advocacy and engagement in different parts of the world.

Speaking at a news conference, he emphasized that it is another step WHO is taking to take advantage of the window of opportunity to contain this outbreak, but warned "our window of opportunity is narrowing.

"We must not look back and regret that we failed to take advantage of the window of opportunity that we have now," he said.

Outside China, the WHO has received reports of 1,152 cases in 26 countries, including eight deaths.

Tedros said that although the total number of cases outside China remains relatively small, the WHO is concerned about the number of cases with no clear epidemiological link, such as travel history to China, or contact with a confirmed case.

Apart from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, the Republic of Korea now has the most cases outside China. "We're working closely with the government to fully understand the transmission dynamics that led to this increase," Tedros said.

He also said that the WHO is concerned about the increase in cases in Iran, where there have been 18 cases and four deaths in just the past two days. He said the WHO has supplied testing kits, and will continue to provide further support to Iran.

The WHO has also expressed concern over the potential for COVID-19 to spread in countries with weaker health systems. Tedros is due to address an emergency meeting of African health ministers, jointly held by the African Union and the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.