United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said that the coronavirus poses “enormous” risks globally but is “not out of control” during a Tuesday interview with The Associated Press.
Guterres told the AP that the outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, is “a very dangerous situation” for the world.
“The risks are enormous and we need to be prepared worldwide for that,” Guterres said.
He said his biggest worry is that the virus will spread to places with “less capacity in their health service,” particularly certain nations in Africa. He added that the World Health Organization is working on how to manage this theoretical situation, according to the AP.
The virus has spread to infect more than 73,000 people around the world, including one reported case in Egypt, sparking concerns of it spreading to African nations. There have been 1,875 deaths globally.
On Tuesday, China, where a majority of the cases have been reported, confirmed 1,886 new cases and 98 deaths.