The decision Thursday came as the number of people diagnosed with the 2019-nCoV virus had skyrocketed to more than 8,200, surpassing the SARS case toll. There are also now people in at least 18 other countries with the virus.
“Over the past few weeks we have witnessed the emergence of a previously unknown pathogen which has escalated into an unprecedented outbreak,” WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said.
Just a week ago, the agency determined the formal “public health emergency of international concern,” or PHEIC, declaration, was premature.
The deadly disease has killed at least 170 in China when it was first discovered.
This is the sixth time the World Health Organisation will be declaring a public health emergency.
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