WHO says pandemic 'far from over' as daily cases hit record high

Maria van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist, said that a “comprehensive approach” was essential in South America.

More than 7 million people have been reported infected with the coronavirus globally and over 400,000 have died.

“This is far from over,” van Kerkhove said.

Read Also: New York Times opinion editor resigns after column controversy as Trump slams paper

At least half of Singapore’s newly discovered coronavirus cases show no symptoms, the co-head of the government’s virus taskforce told Reuters on Monday, reinforcing the city-state’s decision to ease lockdown restrictions very gradually.

Van Kerkhove said that many countries doing contact tracing had identified asymptomatic cases but were not finding that they caused further spread of the virus, adding: “It is very rare”.

Read Also: Most Americans sympathize with protests, disapprove of Trump's response: Reuters

Ryan, asked about technical cooperation with the United States after President Donald Trump’s announcement 10 days ago that it was terminating its relationship with the WHO, said the WHO relies heavily on experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

“We will continue to do that until we are otherwise instructed or informed,” he added.