WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press conference that the reported cases are "most cases in a single day since the outbreak began" on 31 December.
Only 191 of the total cases are outside mainland China and 80% of these cases are concentrated in Hubei province, where the virus was first detected in Wuhan city, he said. Of the cases outside China, 31 spread through interpersonal contacts, mainly from close friends or relatives who had recently been to China.
Tedros has issued a warning to countries overseeing the epidemic and has asked for funds: "Invest today or pay later."
"Our main concern is the potential for spread to other countries with weaker health systems and lacking the ability to detect and diagnose the virus," he said. "We are only as strong as the weakest link."
“We cannot overcome this outbreak without solidarity. Political solidarity, technical solidarity and financial solidarity ", he continued.
Tedros urged the 196 WHO member countries to "invest in preparation", not "panic". He said funding for outbreak preparedness in neighboring countries "has remained inadequate" in the past.
He also announced that WHO is launching a "strategic preparedness and response plan".
“We cannot overcome this outbreak without solidarity. Political solidarity, technical solidarity and financial solidarity ", he continued.
WHO leveraged $ 9 million from its emergency fund, Tedros said Wednesday. He said the organization sent medical supplies such as masks, gloves, clothes and diagnostic tests to everyone.
Tedros urged the 196 WHO member countries to "invest in preparation", not "panic". He said funding for outbreak preparedness in neighboring countries "has remained inadequate" in the past.
He also announced that WHO is launching a "strategic preparedness and response plan".
Infectious disease specialists and scientists say the virus may be more contagious than current data. Data on the virus changes daily and some infectious disease specialists say weeks will pass before they can see how contagious it is.
WHO is asking for $ 675 million to finance the plan for the next three months, he added, adding $ 60 million to finance WHO operations and the rest for country support.
Respiratory disease is not yet considered a pandemic. A pandemic is "an epidemic that occurs worldwide, or in a very large area, which crosses international borders and generally affects large numbers of people," according to the WHO.
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