WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2020) A� lackluster response to a $675 million appeal for funds needed to fight the new coronavirus threatens a window of opportunity to prevent the deadly disease from spreading to the rest of the world, UN World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus told reporters on Thursday.
"Because of the serious measures that China is taking the number of cases in the rest of the world is small, but it doesn't mean that the small number of cases in the rest of of the world will stay the same for long. It's only a window of opportunity and that's why say this is the time to attack the virus while it is actually manageable," Ghebreyesus said.
Ghebreyesus did not say how much of the appeal has been met by international donors, but media reports indicates that pledges of about $100 million have been received thus far.
China reported 74,576 cases of the disease on Thursday, with 2,118 deaths so far, with encouraging signs that the rate of new infections and fatalities has begun to drop.
Deaths outside China have been scattered, with several nations reporting one or two deaths including Egypt, Iran, Japan and South Korea.
The disease appears to kill between 2 percent and 3 percent of those infected, mainly the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.
