The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus a global pandemic, as the number of cases continues to multiply worldwide, with tens of millions of people living under unprecedented lockdowns. The pandemic declaration came as the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 topped 127,000 in about 120 countries, with more than 4,700 deaths blamed on the virus. The WHO’s director said Wednesday health officials are alarmed by both the spread of the virus and the failure of governments to act.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths and the number of affected countries climb even higher. WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock, and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction.”