WHO spokesperson says coronavirus has hit over 100 countries, regions

GENEVA - One hundred and one countries and regions have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday morning, World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Fadela Chaib told Xinhua.

A total of 105,427 confirmed cases were reported globally as of 6:00 CET (0500 GMT) Sunday, among which 3,583 patients have died, the spokesperson said.

In a statement released Saturday evening, the WHO said the spread of COVID-19 can be significantly slowed or even reversed through implementing robust containment and control activities as the number of cases worldwide has surpassed 100,000.

China and other countries are demonstrating that the spread of the virus can be slowed and its impact reduced through the use of universally applicable actions, the WHO said, referring to measures such as working across society to identify people who are sick, making sure they receive care, following up on contacts, preparing hospitals and clinics to manage a surge in patients, and training health workers.

The WHO underlined that containing and slowing the spread of the virus helps buy time for health systems and all of society to prepare and for researchers to identify effective treatments and develop vaccines.