The novel coronavirus is 10 times more deadly than swine flu, also called H1N1, which caused a global pandemic in 2009, the World Health Organization said Monday, calling for control measures to be lifted "slowly".
"We know that COVID-19 spreads fast, and we know that it is deadly, 10 times more deadly than the 2009 flu pandemic," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from Geneva.
The deadly pandemic has killed more than 114,000 people worldwide and infected over 1.8 million.
The WHO also said that a safe and effective vaccine would be needed to fully halt the spread of COVID-19.
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"Our global connectedness means the risk of re-introduction and resurgence of COVID19 will continue," Ghebreyesus said, stressing that "ultimately, the development and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully interrupt transmission."
(With inputs from AFP)
