Most countries are still in the early stages of dealing with the new coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization said Wednesday while the global case count crossed 2.5 million, adding that most people on the planet remain susceptible to Covid-19.

We declared the international emergency at the right time and the rest of the world had enough time to respond,' says WHO director-general. He says 'There are still many gaps in the world's defences against the virus and no single country has everything in place.'

Most countries are still in the early stages of dealing with the new pandemic, the World Health Organization said Wednesday while the global case count crossed 2.5 million, adding that most people on the planet remain susceptible to Covid-19.

"Make no mistake: we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time and can easily ignite," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference.

Tedros called on tech companies to help reach people with phone text messages on Covid-19, starting with Asia-Pacific.

"Most epidemics in Europe appear to be stable or declining, although numbers are low we see worrying upward trends in Africa, Central and South America and Central Europe," he said.