WHO warns that the 'worst is yet to come'

The head of the World Health Organisation has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is not even close to being over.

It has now been six months since the first cases of a mysterious pneumonia-like illness were reported in Wuhan, China.

At the time it was feared that we would see a repeat of the Sars outbreak of 2002 to 2004, which killed 774 people.

Now, with more than 500,000 people dead and more than 10 million confirmed cases worldwide, WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus has said this is "a moment for all of us to reflect".

But, he warned, the "worst is yet to come" - adding that "with this kind of environment and conditions, they fear the worst".

Despite progress in some countries, he said the pandemic was speeding up and the world would need even greater stores of resilience, patience, and generosity in the months ahead.