WHO: Coronavirus cases exceed 100,000 globally

The number of novel coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed 100,000, World Health Organization (WHO) Spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told TASS on Saturday.

"Globally, 101,827 confirmed cases and 3,484 deaths due to COVID-19 infection have been reported between 31 December 2020 and 07 Mar 2020 (as of 6 AM Geneva Time)," he noted.

Jasarevic stressed that "epidemics can be reversed, but only with the highest level of political commitment."

"With public health measures, countries can slow or stop transmission and save lives," he added.

Michael Ryan, Executive Director of WHO's Health Emergencies Program, earlier told reporters that the virus would continue to have the capacity to spread  and was unlikely to subside in the summer. The World Health Organization hopes this will happen, he said, adding though that "we cannot make that assumption, and there is no evidence."

A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV) was reported in China's Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center, in late December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, describing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. Besides China, major coronavirus outbreaks have been reported in South Korea, Iran, and Italy. More than 90 countries, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.