The World Health Organization said Tuesday that understanding how the new coronavirus spreads was rapidly increasing, but warned the protective gear needed to fight the disease was "rapidly depleting".
The UN health agency voiced concern that the masks, goggles and other protective equipment used by health workers was running out amid panic buying and manipulation of markets.
"We are concerned that countries' abilities to respond are being compromised by the severe and increasing disruption to the global supply of personal protective equipment ... caused by rising demand, hoarding and misuse," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva.
"We can't stop COVID-19 without protecting our health workers," he said. The prices of surgical masks have increased six-fold, while the cost for ventilators had tripled, he added.
Dr Tedros said that WHO had shipped more than half a million sets of personal protective equipment to 27 countries, but warned that "supplies are rapidly depleting".
A worker wearing a protective suit pours disinfectant on the hands of a voter at a special voting station for people in coronavirus quarantine in Jerusalem. Source: AAP
He urged a dramatic hike in production, saying WHO estimates the response to COVID-19 would require 89 million medical masks, 76 million pairs of examination gloves and 1.6 million goggles each month.
More than 3,100 people have died from the new virus, while over 92,000 have been infected across 78 countries and territories, according to AFP's latest toll based on official sources.
he main countries affected: mainland China (80,151 cases, 2,943 deaths), South Korea (5,186 cases, 28 deaths), Italy (2,502 cases, 79 deaths), Iran, (2,336 cases, 77 deaths), Japan (268 cases and 12 deaths).
'Deadlier than the flu'
Dr Tedros said he understood why people were rushing to stock up. "Fear is a natural human response to any threat, especially when it is a threat we don't completely understand."
But with more data, there was a growing understanding of the virus and how it spreads, he said, stressing that the new virus was "unique".
While often compared to the flu, Dr Tedros stressed that the virus was far more deadly
"More people are susceptible to infection and some will suffer serious disease. Globally about 3.4 per cent of COVID-19 cases have died," he said.
"By comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1 per cent of those infected."
And while many people have over the years built up immunity to seasonal flu, "no one has immunity" to the new coronavirus, he acknowledged.
At the same time though, COVID-19 does not spread as easily as the flu, and unlike the flu "containment is possible".
Another difference, he said, is that while influenza can easily spread from people showing no symptoms, evidence from China shows "only one per cent of reported cases do not have symptoms".
Emergency rate cut
The US Federal Reserve led the charge in the global response to the growing economic risk posed by the coronavirus, announcing an emergency interest rate cut Tuesday to boost confidence.
That gave President Donald Trump the stimulus he has been calling for, but he was not satisfied and demanded even more.
But many economists worry the aggressive move goes too far and, rather than calm fears, could unsettle investors worldwide if they view it as a sign the US central bank expects a recession.
In a unanimous decision, the Fed's policy-setting committee slashed its key interest rate by a half point to a range of 1.0-1.25, the first inter-meeting cut since late 2008 at the height of the global financial crisis.
