On Wednesday, the World Health Organization officials held a press conference and updated the public about the latest statistics and recent developments in the global fight against Coronavirus infection.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus informed the world on the pandemic situation and warned that the number of people are increasing at an alarming rate. Some of the salient features of his address are given below:

• "More than 10.3 million cases of COVID-19 have now been reported to WHO, and more than 506,000 deaths. For the past week, the number of new cases has exceeded 160,000 on every single day."

• "60% of all COVID-19 cases so far have been reported just in the past month."

• "We will never get tired of saying that the best way out of this pandemic is to take a comprehensive approach. Find. Isolate. Test & care for every case. Trace & quarantine every contact. Equip & train healthworkers. Educate & empower communities to protect themselves & others. Not testing alone. Not physical distancing alone. Not contact tracing alone. Not masks alone. Do it all."

• "Countries that have adopted this comprehensive approach have suppressed COVID-19 transmission and saved lives."

• "Flare-ups are to be expected as countries start to lift restrictions. But countries that have the systems in place to apply a comprehensive approach should be able to contain these flare-ups locally and avoid reintroducing widespread restrictions."

• "However, we are concerned that some countries have not used all the tools at their disposal and have taken a fragmented approach. These countries face a long, hard road ahead. But one of the lessons of the coronavirus pandemic is that no matter what situation a country is in, it can be turned around. It’s never too late."

Regarding the two severely hit countries i.e. Italy and Spain and their success in flattening the curve, WHO chief said:

"As you know, in March, Italy and Spain were the epicenter of the pandemic. At the peak of its epidemic, Spain had almost 10,000 cases a day, and Italy had more than 6,500 cases. But both countries brought their epidemics under control with a combination of leadership, humility, active participation by every member of society, and implementing a comprehensive approach. Both countries faced a daunting situation, but turned it around."

Dr. Tedros also gave a possible solution to conquer this unprecedented plague:

"The fastest way out of this pandemic is to follow the science and do what we know works: the comprehensive approach."