A pharmacist wears protective mask and gloves in his pharmacy on March 11, 2020 in Rome, Italy.

The WHO urged Europe to ratchet up its efforts when tackling the coronavirus pandemic, pointing to a decline in the rate of new cases in China as evidence that bold action does work to reduce the spread.

As of Tuesday, more than 185,000 cases of the coronavirus had been reported worldwide, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, with 7,330 deaths.

Europe has become the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, with one-third of globally reported cases now stemming from the region. Italy has recorded the most cases of COVID-19 in the region, with nearly 28,000 confirmed infections and 2,158 deaths nationwide.

Hans Kluge, regional director for Europe at WHO, said Tuesday that European countries must triple their efforts to prevent the spread, saying there must be "no exceptions" when taking robust action.

"There is, quite simply, a new reality," Kluge said during a Facebook Live broadcast at WHO's main offices in Copenhagen, Denmark.

"Every country, with no exceptions, need to take their boldest actions to stop or slow down the virus threat. Boldest action should include community action: Thinking that this does not concern me is not an option," he added.