WHO official names deadly novel coronavirus as Covid-19

Amid the worldwide epidemic outbreak of Coronavirus which has so far claimed more than 1,000 lives, the virus now has been officially named “Covid-19” by the World Health Organisation on Tuesday. The virus was temporarily named as Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (NCP) by China's National Health Commission. Earlier in the day, the WHO chief labeled the outbreak as ‘a very grave threat’ for the rest of the world. 

While speaking at the global research and innovation forum in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday said that it is hard to believe that the virus was completely unknown to them two months ago. Ghebreyesus reportedly said that the coronavirus outbreak is a test of political, financial, and scientific solidarity. He opined that it is the time to find whether the world can come together to fight a common enemy that does not respect borders or ideologies. 

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“Whether the world will invest now in fighting the coronavirus outbreak, or pay more later to deal with its consequences,” said the WHO chief, as per reports. "We need your collective knowledge, insight, and experience to answer the questions we don’t have answers to, and to identify the questions we may not even realize we need to ask," he added.

China tests 10.59 million citizens in Wuhan for Coronavirus

China's ruling Communist Party on Monday confirmed that authorities have carried out tests on 10.59 million people in Wuhan city of Hubei province to identify coronavirus patients. According to Chinese state media, 99 per cent of the city's population has undergone the test while the remaining one percent would be completed by Tuesday. The city of 11 million people is living under the threat of deadly coronavirus since December last year. The virus was first identified in China on December 31. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

According to the latest reports, the coronavirus outbreak has claimed more than 1,000 lives and over 42,000 new cases have been confirmed in the country as of February 10. The country recorded its highest number of deaths in a single day since the outbreak as it reported 108 deaths on Monday. US Center for Disease Control (CDC) has said that the virus has already spread to 27 countries. United States President’s Coronavirus Task Force on Friday informed that the development of a vaccine is progressing well and it would hopefully be ready within three months. Media reports had earlier suggested that the virus originated from a seafood market in China's Hubei province, where animals were being traded illegally. 

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