Coronavirus crisis may get ‘worse and worse and worse’, warns WHO

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

The raging coronavirus pandemic has the potential to get far worse if countries don't take basic healthcare precautions, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

"Let me be blunt, too many countries are headed in the wrong direction, the virus remains public enemy number one," Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"If basics are not followed, the only way this pandemic is going to go, it is going to get worse and worse and worse. But it does not have to be this way."

The United States and Brazil are the countries worst hit.

"There will be no return to the old normal for the foreseeable future ... There is a lot to be concerned about," Tedros added, in some of his strongest comments of recent weeks.

The WHO on Saturday reported a record daily increase in global coronavirus cases, the total rising by 228,102 in 24 hours.The biggest rises were in the United States, Brazil, India and South Africa.

Deaths remained steady at about 5,000.

Global coronavirus cases exceed 12.3 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, and 556,383 people have died of it in seven months.

Reuters contributed to this report.