US likely to be next Coronavirus epicenter: WHO

The death toll from Coronavirus has risen to over 24,000 across the world. As per reports on Wednesday, over five lakh people have been infected globally. The numbers are likely to rise in coming days. On Tuesday, Margaret Harris, Spokesperson from the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the United States of America (USA) is likely to be the next epicenter of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The WHO arrived at this conclusion as the number of deaths in the USA was increasing at a rapid rate over the past one week. US President Donald Trump has been receiving a lot of criticism for not taking adequate steps to curb the virus. In fact, he has asked for re-opening of businesses across the country earlier this week.

Over 1195 deaths have been reported from the USA. More than 82,000 people have been infected across the country.

Majority of the world’s COVID-19 cases are being reported from Italy, Spain and USA. Though the origin of the virus is from China, the virus spread across the world rapidly. Most of the countries have declared for a complete lockdown till the epidemic comes down. Maximum number of deaths have been reported from Italy, China and Spain. According to the WHO, the next few weeks are crucial in bringing down the virus.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also declared for a complete lockdown of the nation for the next three weeks. This is an important step taken to control spread of the virus in India.

Social media reactions

Many social media users expressed their concern over WHO’s statement.

“WHO: warns USA could become the next virus epicenter Hate to jump on the insta bandwagon but I nominate EVERYONE, for the love of god, to stay INSIDE Sincerely, everyone who has been in quarantine”, tweeted Madeline.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning that the USA could become the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic, based on a “very large acceleration” in cases. “They have a very large outbreak and an outbreak that is increasing in intensity,” says WHO spokesperson”, tweeted Al Toth.