GENEVA - Roughly one in 10 people may have been infected with the coronavirus, leaving the vast majority of the world's population vulnerable to the related Covid-19 disease, the World Health Organisation said on Monday .
Dr Mike Ryan, the WHO's top emergency expert, told the agency's Executive Board that outbreaks were surging in parts of South-east Asia and that cases and deaths were on the rise in parts of Europe and the eastern Mediterranean region. "Our current best estimates tell us about 10 per cent of the global population may have been infected by this virus. It varies depending on country, it varies from urban to rural, it varies depending on groups. But what it does mean is that the vast majority of the world remains at risk," Dr Ryan said.The WHO has submitted a list of experts to take part in an international mission to China to investigate the origin of coronavirus, for consideration by the Chinese authorities, he said.