By J. Jala | 12:53 AM March 12, 2020
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, a pandemic.
The virus, which originated in China, has infected more than 113,000 people worldwide and killed more than 4,000, according to WHO.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a pandemic is “an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people,” while an epidemic is “an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that population in that area.”
In the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed Wednesday the death of one of the patients who tested positive of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
In a statement released tonight, DOH said the reported death is the patient with ID PH35 confined at Manila Doctors Hospital in Manila City.
Meanwhile, the agency also recorded its first COVID-19 cases in Dumaguete City and Cagayan de Oro City.