South Korea virus cases surge as WHO sounds maximum alert

South Korea reported its biggest surge in new coronavirus cases on Saturday as concerns grew of a possible epidemic in United States and World Health Organization raised its risk alert to its highest level.

virus has rapidly spre across world in past week, causing stock markets to sink to ir lowest levels since 2008 global financial crisis over fears that disease could wreak havoc on world ecomy. More than 2,900 people have died and over 85,000 have been infected worldwide since it was first detected in central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

vast majority of infections have been in China but more daily cases are w logged outside country, with South Korea, Italy and Iran emerging as major hotspots. South Korea has most cases outside China, with 3,150 infections as 813 more patients were reported on Saturday -- country's biggest increase to date.

rth Korean leer Kim Jong Un warned top party officials of "serious consequences" of failing to prevent an outbreak on ir side of border. impoverished nation, with a weak and ill-equipped healthcare system, has closed its borders to prevent spre of disease into its territory.

virus has also spre to new zones in recent days, reaching nine new countries including Azerbaijan, Mexico and New Zealand, as well as reaching sub-Saharan Africa with Nigeria reporting its first case. "We have w increased our assessment of risk of spre and risk of impact of COVID-19 to very high at global level," WHO chief Tedros ham Ghebreyesus told reporters on Friday.

European nations are scrambling to contain outbreak as new infections mounted in several countries -- many linked to virus hotspot rrn Italy -- including in France where a surge of new cases was confirmed Friday. President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday chaired a ministers' meeting on curbing outbreak, after officials warned epidemic h reached a "new st".

" virus is circulating in our territory and we must curb its spre," French Health Minister Olivier Veran said Friday. Meanwhile in US, health officials reported three more cases of new coronavirus transmitted to people who did t travel overseas or come in contact with anyone kwn to be ill, indicating disease was spreing in country.

re are w four such cases in United States, all on Pacific seaboard, in dition to some 60 or infections in country. " virus is here, present at some level, but we still don't kw to what degree," said Sara Cody, director of public health for California's Santa Clara County, heart of Silicon Valley where tech giants like Apple and Google are based.

US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said central bank stood at rey to intervene if needed, given "evolving" risks to world's largest ecomy posed by outbreak. Official data released in China on Saturday showed extent of dam caused to world's second-largest ecomy, with manufacturing activity falling to its lowest level on record as key industries ground to a standstill under drastic containment measures.

More global events were disrupted due to epidemic, with United States delaying a regional summit of Association of Souast Asian Nations due in Las Vegas next month. "This is t a time for panic. It is time to be prepared -- fully prepared," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

South Korea's epidemic is centred in its fourth-largest city, Daegu, whose streets have been largely deserted for days, apart from long queues at few shops with masks for sale. Three women in Daegu area died of illness, taking national toll to 17, authorities said Saturday.

South Korea's total is expected to rise furr with screening of more than 210,000 members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a secretive entity often accused of being a cult that is linked to around half of country's cases. On Saturday, South Korea also reported its first reinfection case with a 73-year-old woman testing positive for a second time after recovering from virus.

While China reported 47 more deaths on Saturday, it recorded 427 infections -- fewer new cases than South Korea -- following unprecedented quarantine efforts locking down tens of millions of people in worst-hit cities. South Korean officials say y are t considering a citywide quarantine for Daegu similar to lockdown imposed on Wuhan. In Iran, unnamed health sources told BBC that at least 210 people h died of coronavirus -- far beyond official death toll, but Tehran angrily denied that figure. death toll in Iran jumped to 43 on Saturday.