- Coronavirus fits the criteria for a pandemic although the WHO is hesitant to use the word.
- For now, coronavirus is more mild than past pandemics but that could change over the next few weeks.
- China’s dropping number of cases has cast the nation as an expert in containment despite harsh criticism over Beijing’s handling of the disease just weeks ago.
With new outbreaks across Europe and the Middle East, it’s clear that containing the coronavirus is becoming impossible.
The US, England and France have already started bracing for what many believe is an inevitable outbreak. Even as the number of cases outside China rise and countries around the world warn their citizens about it’s inevitable coming, the World Health Organization (WHO) says coronavirus isn’t a pandemic.
Is Coronavirus a Pandemic?
The answer to that question depends who you talk to. WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says , “Using the word pandemic does not fit the facts.” So what does the word pandemic actually mean?
) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s a disease that spreads across regions. Coronavirus certainly checks that box. )
WHO’s definition is a bit more stringent. The organization says it’s when a new disease spreads around the world resulting in a greater-than-expected number of cases. By contrast, the organization dubs the spread of a disease within a community or region an epidemic.
Coronavirus could certainly be classified as a pandemic by that definition, Unless WHO is arguing that its spread to Europe and beyond was expected.
How does it compare to Other Pandemics?
The last pandemic was H1N1, or the swine flu, back in 2013 – 2020. In that case, nearly a quarter of the world’s population was infected.
(Latest data show coronavirus has infected 388, 2010 people, but keep in mind that’s just two months into its spread. Preparedness will be the key factor in determining how much those numbers will balloon.
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