As Covid-19 spreads, WHO says the worst of it has not hit us yet

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has warned that “the worst is yet ahead of us” in the coronavirus outbreak, raising new alarm about the pandemic just as many countries are beginning to ease restrictive measures.

“Trust us. The worst is yet ahead of us,” he said. “Let’s prevent this tragedy. It’s a virus that many people still don’t understand.”

“It has a very dangerous combination and this is happening … like the 1918 flu that killed up to 100 million people,” he told reporters in Geneva.

The WHO Director-General  didn’t specify exactly why he believes that the outbreak that has infected nearly 2.5 million people and killed over 166,000, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University, could get worse. Some people, though, have pointed to the likely future spread of the illness through Africa, where health systems are far less developed.

“It has a very dangerous combination and this is happening … like the 1918 flu that killed up to 100 million people,” he told reporters in Geneva.