Geneva, April 13: The novel coronavirus is 10 times more deadly than swine flu, also called H1N1, which caused a global pandemic in 2009, the World Health Organization said Monday, calling for control measures to be lifted "slowly". "We know that COVID-19 spreads fast, and we know that it is deadly, 10 times more deadly than the 2009 flu pandemic," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from Geneva.

The WHO chief said that a safe and effective vaccine would be needed to fully halt the spread of COVID-19, which has killed more than 114,000 people worldwide. New York State COVID-19 Death Toll Crosses 10,000, Governor Andrew Cuomo Says 'Worst of Pandemic is Over'.

"Our global connectedness means the risk of re-introduction and resurgence of COVID19 will continue," Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from Geneva, stressing that "ultimately, the development and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully interrupt transmission."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 13, 2020 09:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).