Geneva (AFP)

The world is facing a shortage of masks and other protective equipment against the new coronavirus, whose demand and prices are soaring, alerted the head of the World Health Organization on Friday.

"The world faces a chronic lack of personal protective equipment," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a meeting of the WHO executive committee in Geneva.

He noted "serious disruptions" in the world market for such equipment, with "demand up to a hundred times higher than normal and prices up to twenty times higher".

"As a result, we now have flat stocks, and deadlines of four to six months" for deliveries, with a particularly difficult situation for the masks, which are in high demand, Tadros told reporters after the meeting.

The WHO official added that he had spoken to supply chain officials to see how to resolve these difficulties.

The Chinese government recognized at the beginning of the week of urgent need of protective masks to face the epidemic of viral pneumonia which contaminated 31,161 people in mainland China including 636 fatal.

In the rest of the world, 240 cases of contamination have been confirmed in around thirty countries and territories, including two fatal, in Hong Kong and the Philippines.

- 3% of "critical" cases -

The head of the WHO emerging diseases unit, Maria Van Kerkhove, said that 82% of the cases listed were considered minor, 15% serious and 3% "critical".

Less than 2% of the cases were fatal, she added.

The director general of WHO has already launched Wednesday a call for funds of 675 million dollars (613 million euros) to fight this epidemic.

Mr. Tedros had also announced on this occasion that the specialized agency of the United Nations would initially send to 24 countries protective equipment, including 500,000 masks and 350,000 pairs of gloves. Some 250,000 tests will also be sent to more than 70 laboratories worldwide.

On Friday, he again deplored that some countries do not share all the data on this disease, without saying which ones. "We urge these member states to share this information immediately," he said.

"No country or organization can defeat this epidemic alone. Our only hope is to work together," he said.

He also welcomed the fact that in the past two days the number of new cases reported had decreased, while warning of premature optimism.

This is "good news, but we must not draw too many conclusions, the figures may start to rise," he warned.

© 2020 AFP