Third death from coronavirus in Italy as WHO warns of pandemic

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the word “pandemic” did yet not fit the facts.

Seven people died of coronavirus in Italy while several Middle East countries were dealing with their first infections, sending markets into a tailspin over fears of a global pandemic.

While health experts have expected limited outbreaks beyond China, the rapid acceleration of cases in Italy going from three on Friday to 220 on Monday is concerning, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement.

Just as China put cities on lockdown, Italian authorities sealed off the worst-affected towns, closed schools and halted the carnival in Venice, where there were two cases.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the word “pandemic” did yet not fit the facts.

He added: "We must focus on containment while preparing for a potential pandemic." 

The epidemic in China peaked between 23 January and 2 February and has been declining since, the WHO said.