WHO chief urges world to draw inspiration from Wuhan in COVID-19 fight
Updated 02:50, 21-Mar-2020
CGTN
The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom delivers his address in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday regarding the COVID-19 outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom delivers his address in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday regarding the COVID-19 outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom has urged the rest of the world to draw inspiration from Wuhan in the fight against COVID-19.

Speaking at the organization's press briefing on Friday, Tedros said the success achieved by the Chinese city was proof that the world can be victorious over COVID-19.

"Wuhan provides hope for the rest of the world that even the most serious situation can be turned around. We must exercise caution. The situation can be worse but the experience of cities and countries that have pushed back this virus give hope and courage to the rest of the world. Everyday, we are learning more about the virus and the diseases it causes," he said.

Tedros' remarks come as central China's Hubei Province reported no new COVID-19 cases for the second consecutive day.

The COVID-19 outbreak was first reported in the city of Wuhan in December 2019. Experts have attributed the outbreak to a novel coronavirus that has since spread across China and abroad with confirmed cases around 250,000 globally.

Last week, WHO announced that Europe is currently the epicenter of the virus. Italy in particular has caused global concern due to the COVID-19 figures it records daily.

On Friday, Italy said it had recorded 627 new COVID-19 deaths over the past 24 hours, taking its number of fatalities to over 4,000. The country has recorded more than 47,000 COVID-19 cases in total.

The country is however hopeful that a team of Chinese medics deployed by the Chinese government will help it defeat COVID-19.