Guterres: Coronavirus, Biggest Challenge for the World since World War II

António Guterres the UN Secretary-General spoke at the UN headquarters in New York about the presentation of a report titled the ‘Socioeconomic Impact of the Outbreak’, where he warned the world “The current coronavirus outbreak is the biggest challenge for the world since World War Two.”

The Secretary’s warnings derive from forecasts about the potential economic shock and procedures enforced to combat the virus.

"The new coronavirus disease is attacking societies at their core, claiming lives and people's livelihoods. […] COVID-19 is the greatest test that we have faced together since the formation of the United Nations," he added and further demanded, "an immediate coordinated health response to suppress transmission and end the pandemic".

The Secretary-General also implied that these events could bring a recession "that probably has no parallel in the recent past".

The amount of confirmed cases globally is now reaching 860,000, with more than 42,000 fatalities, writes the BBC.

The death toll in the United States is now more than 4,000 and already superior to the declared number of deaths in China. A Johns Hopkins University study states that 865 people had passed in the past 24 hours in the US, and overall more than 189,000 people in the nation are septic.

Image source: Reuters

By B.Alexishvili