Coronavirus is officially declared a pandemic by WHO:

COVID_19 Pandemic. (Image Credit: Dailymail Uk)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the novel coronavirus as a pandemic for the first time since it began in 2019 from Wuhan, province of China. In a press briefing on last Wednesday, WHO director-general expressed concern about trajectory of COVID_19, which has rapidly expanded across the globe in a few months since it was first announced in China (Wuhan).

Outbreaks of COVID_19 have been reported in more than 111 countries with 

Ø  More than 118,000 confirmed cases worldwide.

Ø  More than 4,200 deaths worldwide. (Most affected countries are China, Italy, Iran and South Korea)

Ø  In United States, there are more than 900 cases of COVID_19 and 29 deaths.

Ø  Number of cases in Pakistan is 21 as of March 14, 2020 

WHO official has expressed his deep concerns about the rising number of affected countries and alarming level of in-action? Moreover, number of affected regions and affected patients is expected to rise further.

Related: 6 Basic Protective Measures Against the New corona virus (COVID-19)

So, here point to ponder is that what happens? When a public health agency like WHO declares a pandemic, what does it means? And on what criteria a pandemic is declared?

What is a pandemic?

When a disease starts in a community with a sudden rise in confirmed cases of that particular disease, affecting a small geographical region like Wuhan is called “Outbreak”. When this disease spreads beyond a community- like COVID_19 spread across china- then it becomes epidemic. When this epidemic crosses international borders and affects a large number of people worldwide, is named as “Pandemic”.  

 So being tagged a Pandemic is not about the severity of disease but it only shows the geography of the affected areas and number of affected people worldwide.Although WHO has announced pandemic status for COVID_19 on last Wednesday, majority of experts say that coronavirus has achieved this status weeks ago when a large number of cases were confirmed in South Korea, Italy and Iran.

What is Pandemic? (Image credit: aljazeera News)

Related: Can wearing a face mask protect you from the new coronavirus?

Does Pandemic Status Matters?

Words matter off course. In a press briefing on Wednesday, WHO official, explained the WHO’s caution against rushing to cry “pandemic” for the novel coronavirus.

“Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly,” he said. “It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death.”

I think what stopped WHO from declaring  COVID_19 A Pandemic,  Because in 2009, Everyone around the Globe panicked when WHO announced H1N1, a Pandemic, WHO was later criticized when the virus turned  out not to be lethal as it was labeled.

Although it’s a fact that it does not matter either we call it pandemic or not, because being Pandemic doesn’t not affect it fatality and mortality rate.

MOREOVER, it doesn’t matter whether WHO calls it Pandemic or not, It should not affect the measures, WHO is taking against COVID_19 or the countries that are fighting this novel and deadly coronavirus. So, it’s not the point of discussion here, the most important thing to do is to be fully prepared for this deadly and fatal virus.