The head of the World Health Organisation warned that the new coronavirus pandemic is worsening globally, even as the situation in Europe is improving. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday noted that about 75 per cent of cases reported to the WHO on Sunday came from 10 countries in the Americas and South Asia. He said over 1,00,000 cases have been reported on nine of the past 10 days " and that the 1,36,000 cases reported on Sunday was the biggest number so far. He said most countries in Africa are still seeing an increase in cases, including in new geographic areas even though most countries on the continent have fewer than 1,000 cases. "At the same time, we-re encouraged that several nations are seeing positive signs. In these countries, the biggest threat now is complacency," he added.

COVID-19 may have hit Wuhan in Aug: Harvard

China on Tuesday dismissed as "incredibly ridiculous" a Harvard study, which pointed to a surge in traffic outside Wuhan hospitals from August 2019 suggesting that the new Coronavirus hit the area far earlier than reported. A whitepaper on COVID-19 released by China on Sunday said the virus was first noticed on December 17 and Chinese virologists confirmed human-to-human transmission on January 19. The new study by Harvard researchers says satellite images show an increase in traffic outside five hospitals in Wuhan from late August to December.