The World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a 'new and dangerous phase' of the deadly coronavirus pandemic. This warning comes a day after number of new cases reported “were the most in a single day so far”.
There were nearly 150,000 cases that were reported in 24 hours across the globe from which almost half of the total cases were reported from America and a large number recorded from Southern Asia and the Middle East.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a press conference said: "Many people are understandably fed up with being at home. Countries are understandably eager to open up their societies and economies. But the virus is still spreading fast. It is still deadly and most people are still susceptible,” the WHO chief said.
Further warning people to “exercise extreme vigilance” against the virus, Tedros said: “Continue maintaining your distance from others. Stay home if you feel sick. Keep covering your nose and mouth when you cough. Wear a mask when appropriate. Keep cleaning your hands. There is no known vaccine against any coronavirus so far. If a vaccine is discovered, this will be the first vaccine for coronavirus,” he added.
As per data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the coronavirus has infected more than 8.5 million people worldwide and killed at least 454,359.