Had warned about the virus on Jan 30, world should have listened to us then, carefully: WHO

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on January 30, WHO triggered its "highest" global emergency alert by declaring COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. At the time, there were fewer than 100 cases and no deaths outside China.

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"The world should have listened to WHO then, carefully," Tedros told a virtual press conference.

President Trump had stopped funds tothe UN health body over "mismanaging" the virus earlier while alleging that it had a "China bais".

However, Tedrossaid the WHO had given "sound advice from the beginning "based on the best science and evidence", however, he added that "we do not have any mandate to force countries to take our advice."

"Every country could have triggered all its public health measures, I think that suffices the importance of listening to WHO's advice," the WHO chief asserted.

"We advised the whole world to implement a comprehensive public health approach, and we said find, test, isolate, and do contact tracing," he said.

"You can check for yourselves: countries who followed that are in a better position than others. This is fact," the WHO chief said, adding "it is up to the countries to reject or accept."

"Each country takes its own responsibility." The global pandemic which has now reached 192 countries has claimed over 206,000 lives worldwide with the United States accounting for over 55,000 lives.