At a press briefing on COVID-19 on 9 March, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that China is bringing its epidemic under control. WHO has consolidated its guidance for countries in four categories based on different epidemic scenarios. Dr. Tedros called for global solidarity to overcome the challenge.

Dr. Tedros said it is troubling that over the weekend, we crossed 100,000 reported cases of COVID-19 in 100 countries. The threat of a pandemic has become very real, but we are not at the mercy of the virus.

He noted that with decisive, early action we can slow down the virus and prevent infections. This is an uneven epidemic at the global level. Of all the cases reported globally so far, 93% are from just four countries. Different countries are in different scenarios, requiring a tailored response.

According to Dr. Tedros, of the four countries with the most cases, China is bringing its epidemic under control, and there is now a decline in new cases being reported from the Republic of Korea. Both these countries demonstrate that it's never too late to turn back the tide on the virus. Italy is taking aggressive measures to contain its epidemic, and we hope that those measures prove effective in the coming days.

At the end of his opening remarks, Dr. Tedros appealed to the world:

Let hope be the antidote to fear.

Let solidarity be the antidote to blame.

Let our shared humanity be the antidote to our shared threat.