WHO urges all to make COVID-19 control top priority

All countries should make containing the outbreak of COVID-19 their top priority, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, pointing to Iran's national action plan to combat one of the world's worst outbreaks after a slow start.

The UN agency stressed that slowing down the epidemic allowed hospitals to prepare and saves lives, while warning that there was no evidence that spread would wane during the approaching summer months in the northern hemisphere.

"We are now on the verge of reaching 100,000 confirmed cases," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a daily news briefing. "(The epidemic) is geographically expanding and deeply concerning."

"We are continuing to recommend that all countries make containment their highest priority," he added. "In a globalized world, the only option is to stand together."

Iran's death toll from coronavirus infections jumped to 124 on Friday, as 17 died and more than 1,000 new cases were diagnosed over 24 hours, the health ministry said.

Source(s): Reuters