WHO declares coronavirus global emergency as death toll rises

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak sparked by the coronavirus in China as a global emergency on Thursday, after the number of cases spiked more than tenfold in a week, while the death toll rose to 213.

This developed as China’s health commission reported on Friday that the confirmed cases of infection have reached 9,692.

Another 102,000 people were also reportedly under medical observation with possible symptoms of the respiratory ailment.

The UN health agency defines an international emergency as an “extraordinary event” that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response.