On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the widely and quickly spreading coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, confirming that the virus will probably spread to all countries of the world.

 “We expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths, and the number of affected countries climb even higher,” said Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

So far, 114 countries have reported that 118,000 have contracted Covid-19.

Tedros said at the WHO’s headquarters in Geneva: “Describing the situation as a pandemic does not change WHO’s assessment of the threat posed by this coronavirus. It doesn’t change what WHO is doing, and it doesn’t change what countries should do.”

He continued: “This is not just a public health crisis, it is a crisis that will touch every sector, so every sector and every individual must be involved in the fight.”

The bottom line is: “We’re not at the mercy of the virus. The great advantage is that the decisions we all make as governments, businesses, communities, families, and individuals can influence the trajectory of this epidemic.”

He added: “The rule of the game is: Never give up.”

Regarding the criticisms of WHO for not declaring a pandemic sooner, Mike Ryan, head of the agency’s health emergencies program said: “For me, I’m not worried about the word. I’m more concerned about that the world’s reaction will be to that word. Will we use it as a call to action? Will we use it to fight? Or will we use it to give up?”