March 11, 2020

It’s Official: Coronavirus Is a Pandemic

The WHO has announced the virus will likely spread to all countries in the world.

Mehdi Taamallah/NurPhoto/Zuma

The coronavirus is a rapidly developing news story, so some of the content in this article might be out of date. Check out our most recent coverage of the coronavirus crisis, and subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter.

The World Health Organization officially declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, meaning that it will likely spread to all countries worldwide.

There have been more than 118,000 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 worldwide, according to WHO, and more than 4,000 people have died. The infection has been reported in 114 countries or territories, with the most severe outbreaks in China, Italy, and Iran.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, said in a media briefing Wednesday that the global situation would worsen. But instead of focusing on the pandemic classification, he urged people around the world to focus on prevention and preparedness to mitigate the spread of the virus.

WHO’s public health advice remains the same: Practice frequent hand-washing, maintain your distance from people who are sick, avoid touching your face, stay away from large social gatherings when possible, and seek medical care if you have difficulty breathing.

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AN IMPORTANT UPDATE ON MOTHER JONES' FINANCES

We need to start being more upfront about how hard it is keeping a newsroom like Mother Jones afloat these days.

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