The number of reported cases of covid-19 continues to rise in the United States, where testing was slow to begin. The disease, caused by a new coronavirus, has been confirmed in nearly every state.
The World Health Organization declared covid-19 a pandemic on March 11.
“We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity — and by the alarming levels of inaction,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Worldwide, well over 150,000 cases of the disease, which can cause pneumonia-like symptoms, have been recorded since the outbreak started in late 2019, and several thousand people have died.
The virus has been detected on every continent except Antarctica and in more than 100 countries, with concentrations of thousands of cases in some areas. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a “public health emergency.”
The Trump administration has imposed restrictions on travelers from countries including China, Iran, and most European countries and is cautioning against travel to other places.
China has reported the most cases worldwide, with a majority in the Hubei province, where Chinese health officials said the new virus strain originated in wild animals sold at a market in the capital city of Wuhan. In recent weeks, as the number of new cases climbed around the world, the number in China has slowed.
