WHO says more new daily COVID-19 cases outside China than inside

The World Health Organization said on Wednesday there were now more new daily cases of the novel coronavirus outside China than inside, marking a major shift in the outbreak of COVID-19.

"Yesterday, the number of new cases reported outside China exceeded the number of new cases in China for the first time," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told diplomats in Geneva, saying the surge in Italy, Iran and South Korea and linked cases spread to other European, Middle Eastern and Asian countries are "deeply concerning."

Given the rise, Tedros insisted the WHO is not about to declare a pandemic without a careful and clear-minded analysis of the facts. 

The risk assessment of COVID-19 now stands at "high" for the globe.

Tedros added a WHO team will be sent to Iran this weekend to provide help. 

While another WHO team joined by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control was dispatched to Italy yesterday. 

At a press conference held in Rome on Wednesday, the EU's Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told reporters the novel coronavirus is concerning for Europe but there is no reason for alarm.