The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global emergency over the spread of the deadly coronavirus epidemic, as thousands of new cases have been reported and the death toll closes in on 200 people.

“The decision reversed the organization’s decision just a week ago to hold off such a declaration,” The New York Times reported. “Since then, W.H.O. officials said, thousands of new cases in China and clear human-to-human transmission in several other countries — now including the United States — warranted a reconsideration of that decision by the agency’s expert committee.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday that is had confirmed the first person-to-person of the coronavirus in the U.S.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today confirmed that the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has spread between two people in the United States, representing the first instance of person-to-person spread with this new virus here,” the CDC said in a statement. “Previously, all confirmed U.S. cases had been associated with travel to Wuhan, China, where an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by this novel coronavirus has been ongoing since December 2019. However, this latest 2019-nCoV patient has no history of travel to Wuhan, but shared a household with the patient diagnosed with 2019-nCoV infection on January 21, 2020.”

Today CDC and @IDPH confirmed diagnosis of #2019nCoV in a patient who had not traveled from China but had close contact with a traveler previously confirmed with the novel #coronavirus. Read the press release: https://t.co/d7FyZLzRed. pic.twitter.com/WSzdgpcgrU — CDC (@CDCgov) January 30, 2020

The latest figures to come out of communist China indicate that more than 8,100 people have been infected with the virus — a tenfold increase in just one week — with at least 170 dead as the virus has now officially spread more rapidly than the SARS virus did in 2002 and 2003.

“The Committee agreed that the outbreak now meets the criteria for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and proposed the following advice to be issued as Temporary Recommendations,” WHO said in a statement. “As this is a new coronavirus, and it has been previously shown that similar coronaviruses required substantial efforts to enable regular information sharing and research, the global community should continue to demonstrate solidarity and cooperation, in compliance with Article 44 of the IHR (2005), in supporting each other on the identification of the source of this new virus, its full potential for human-to-human transmission, preparedness for potential importation of cases, and research for developing necessary treatment.”

Full statement on the meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on the #2019nCoV 👉 https://t.co/Ia5pFPn3Qi pic.twitter.com/YhlPG2YwOJ — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 30, 2020

The Financial Times reported on Thursday that Russia closed its borders with China to prevent the virus from spreading into Russia.

“Russia on Thursday ordered the closure of its huge land border with China as Moscow scrambles to prevent the deadly coronavirus infection spreading from its southern neighbor,” The Financial Times reported. “There have been no confirmed cases of the respiratory illness in Russia but Vladimir Putin’s government is anxious to prevent the virus from crossing a land border that stretches for more than 4,000km. Moscow has already blocked Chinese tour groups from entering the country.”

President Donald Trump weighed in on the overall situation on Thursday, writing on Twitter: “Working closely with China and others on Coronavirus outbreak. Only 5 people in U.S., all in good recovery.”

Working closely with China and others on Coronavirus outbreak. Only 5 people in U.S., all in good recovery. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2020

This report has been updated to include additional information and corrected to note that the SARS virus outbreak was from 2002-2003, not 2012-2013.