Michael J. Ryan, the Executive Director of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Programme, said at the daily news conference on Monday that “Italy and Spain are about to stabilize”. But he emphasised that “the coronavirus will not disappear on its own, it must be eliminated through public health efforts.”

Meanwhile the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has warned that collapses in the health system could “dramatically increase” the deaths of patients with other diseases.

“The Covid-19 pandemic is putting pressure on healthcare systems in many countries. The rapid increase in demand for healthcare facilities and professionals threatens to leave some healthcare systems overloaded and unable to function effectively. Past outbreaks have shown that when health systems are collapsed, deaths from preventable and treatable diseases with vaccines increase dramatically, “he warned.