The coronavirus pandemic that's spread to nearly every country in the world is picking up pace, the World Health Organization said Monday, as global cases eclipsed 350,000 and deaths soared past 15,000.

"The pandemic is accelerating,”WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing from the organization's Geneva headquarters. “It took 67 days from the first reported case to reach 100,000 cases, 11 days for second 100,000 cases, and just four days for the third 100,000 cases.”

Tedros said he'll be asking the G20, the international group of government and central bank leaders, to ramp up production of personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses and to avoid placing export bans on the life-saving gear. WHO had already been asking suppliers of protective gear to prioritize sending the equipment to regions most affected by the virus and discouraged stockpiling of protective gear by the general public. 

"We need unity among the G20 countries who have more than 80% of the global GDP,” he said. “If we don't prioritize protecting health workers, many people will die because the health worker who could have saved their lives is sick.”

World health officials estimate more than 26 million health-care workers may end up treating COVID-19 patients. On Friday, WHO officials warned the outbreak could overwhelm health systems around the world in just a few weeks.

(Source: CNBC)