On Monday Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Bahrain reported their first cases, all involving people who had come from Iran.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had warned that the window of opportunity to contain the virus was “narrowing”.
Paul Hunter, professor of health protection at the University of East Anglia in the UK, echoed his fears, saying the spike in cases outside China was “extremely concerning”.
“The tipping point after which our ability to prevent a global pandemic seems a lot closer after the past 24 hours,” he said on Monday.
Updated location of confirmed #covid19, or #coronavirus, cases around the globe. #Italy and #SouthKorea on high alert as cases have suddenly spiked. https://t.co/6KhctHVBCl pic.twitter.com/o2pvne96Mz
— Statista (@StatistaCharts) February 24, 2020