The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the global death rate from the coronavirus is higher than initially reported.
On Tuesday, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus — the director-general for the organization — spoke at a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, where he offered an update on the virus.
According to The New York Times, Ghebreyesus confirmed the death rate is approximately 3.4 percent, which is slightly higher than the initial 2 to 4 percent reported in China and 0.7 percent outside of Wuhan, China.
“Globally, about 3.4 percent of reported Covid-19 cases have died,” Dr. Tedros said, adding, “By comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1 percent of those infected.”
While the statistics are primarily a reflection of the outbreak in China, the number of reported cases is increasing all over the world; namely in Iran, Italy, and South Korea.
Dr. Margaret Harris also described the rate as a “crudely calculated.” The figure does not include all mild cases requiring no medical attention. Harris also reiterated that it could “change over time, and vary from place to place.”
The organization also suggested that the coronavirus is actually three times deadlier than the flu. Ghebreyesus offered a breakdown of immunity as it relates to both the flu and coronavirus.
“While many people globally have built up immunity to seasonal flu strains, Covid-19 is a new virus to which no one has immunity,” Ghebreyesus explained.
The latest news follows a string of updates and information briefs from Ghebreyesus. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Ghebreyesus has taken to Twitter to raise awareness.
On Monday, he shared a similar explanation of how the virus spreads and why it’s so severe. While the coronavirus doesn’t spread the same way the flu does, the symptoms are far worse.
He tweeted, “Covid-19 spreads less efficiently than flu, transmission does not appear to be driven by ppl who aren’t sick, it causes more severe illness than flu, there are not yet any vaccines or therapeutics [and] it can be contained – which is why we must do everything we can to contain it.”
#COVID-19 spreads less efficiently than flu, transmission does not appear to be driven by ppl who aren’t sick, it causes more severe illness than flu, there are not yet any vaccines or therapeutics & it can be contained – which is why we must do everything we can to contain it. pic.twitter.com/vRvKTlio1F
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) March 3, 2020
Despite growing concerns about the coronavirus, Ghebreyesus insists there is still a possibility that the virus can be contained.
“We understand that people are afraid and uncertain,” Tedros said. “Fear is a natural human response to any threat, especially when it’s a threat we don’t completely understand. But as we get more data, we are understanding this virus and the disease it causes more and more.”