Coronavirus Live Updates: W.H.O. Raises Risk Assessment to “Very High,” Its Top Level

The World Health Organization on Friday raised its assessment of the global coronavirus risk from “high” to “very high,” the most serious assessment in its new four-stage alert system.

“This is a reality check for every government on the planet,” said Dr. Michael J. Ryan, deputy director of W.H.O.’s health emergency program. “Wake up. Get ready. This virus may be on its way.”

The assessment addresses the risks of both uncontrolled spread of the virus and the resulting impacts.
 
United States health officials have given similarly alarming assessments, though President Trump has played down the threat.

The W.H.O. does not officially use the word “pandemic,” often defined as the worldwide spread of a new disease, but many health experts say the coronavirus epidemic is one, or soon will be.