COVID-19 cases top 200,000 globally, death toll over 8,000: WHO

Photo taken in Brussels of Belgium on March 16, 2020 shows World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaking at a virtual press conference held in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

More than 200,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported globally to the World Health Organization (WHO), among which more than 8,000 people have lost their lives, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday.

Eighty percent of all cases worldwide were reported in two regions -- the Western Pacific region and the European region, Tedros noted at a daily briefing.

He stressed there are many things all countries and regions can do although different countries and communities are in different situations, with different levels of COVID-19 transmission.

"That same spirit of solidarity must be at the center of our efforts to defeat COVID-19," said Tedros.

People wearing masks walk on a street in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on March 18, 2020. (Photo by Nedim Grabovica/Xinhua)

Tedros reiterated countries must isolate, test, treat every case and trace every contact to suppress and control the epidemic, warning that if those measures were not taken, the transmission could continue at a low level before resurging once physical distancing measures are lifted.

Particularly, Tedros noted confirmed mild cases should be isolated in health facilities, where trained professionals can provide good medical care, prevent clinical progression and onward transmission.

He added although it isn't the ideal situation, people with mild disease can be cared for at home as well if health facilities are at risk of being overwhelmed.

The number of COVID-19 infections outside China has risen to 112,878 as of Wednesday morning, according to the situation dashboard by WHO.