The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there were "worrying upward trends" in early epidemics in parts of Africa and central and South America, warning that the "virus will be with us for a long time".

He hoped the Trump administration would reconsider its suspension of funding, but that his main focus was on ending the pandemic and saving lives reports Aljazeera.

"I hope the freezing of the funding will be reconsidered and the US will once again support WHO's work and continue to save lives," Tedros said.

"I hope the US believes that this an important imvestment, not just to help others but for the US to stay safe also."

According to Aljazeera, Mike Ryan, WHO's top emergencies expert, said that it was important to understand the animal origins of the new coronavirus which jumped the species barrier to humans in China late last year, adding: "It can be breached again."