Dr Tedros also told reporters that US President Donald Trump was not wrong to compare the new coronavirus to flu.

"If I’m asked to advise communities about to prevent this virus, I would give them the same advice as I give for flu – wash hands with soap, don't touch your face, keep 6ft distance etc," he said at the daily WHO press conference.

Mr Trump said on Wednesday that the coronavirus should be treated like flu.

In the absence of a vaccine, "the president is right to say that," Dr Tedros said.

In a news conference, WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to take action against the virus. He insisted it was still possible to stop its rapid spread.

"My message to each of these countries is - this is your window of opportunity," he said.

"If you act aggressively now, you can contain this virus, you can prevent people getting sick, you can save lives."

The head of the World Health Organization says the fight against the global spread of the virus has entered a decisive point.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it would be fatal for any country to assume it would not get cases. But he said that - with the right measures - it was clear the virus could be contained.

Iran has banned Chinese citizens from entering the country, state media say.

Officials also cancelled Friday prayers in Tehran because of health concerns.

Iran has reported 26 deaths from the virus - the highest number outside China.

Some passengers arriving in Sao Paulo International Airport wore masks after Brazil confirmed its first infection on Wednesday.

Image source, EPA

As we mentioned earlier, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has called for all schools in the country to close for several weeks as authorities try to contain the coronavirus.

The closures are set to take effect on Monday and will last until the end of spring vacation - typically in early April.

“The government attaches the top priority to the health and safety of children," Mr Abe said.

The unprecedented closures could affect about 13 million students, and many parents are concerned about what they will do with their children.

"My honest feeling - all schools on break? It's important to protect children, but what happens if they have working parents?" one wrote on social media.

Officials have said child day care centres and after-school facilities can remain open.

More than 200 people have been infected with the coronavirus in Japan.

Image source, Reuters

The outbreak of the new coronavirus is boosting sales of disinfectant products, a leading manufacturer has said.

Sales of Dettol and Lysol products have surged as the virus continues to spread across the world, consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser said.

The disinfectant is seen as providing protection against the spread of the disease, although its effectiveness has not yet been scientifically proven.

In China, demand for Dettol-branded hand gels is outstripping supply, Reckitt Benckiser said.

The shortages come as global markets slump for a sixth day, with the FTSE 100 trading almost 2% down.

Read the full story here.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

The good news for pet lovers is that according to the World Health Organization, there is no evidence that coronavirus can be transmitted between humans and your family pet.

The full answer to this and answers to other questions - including is there a risk to unborn babies if pregnant women get coronavirus? - can be found on our Q&A page.

Philippa Roxby
Health reporter, BBC News

There is still much that scientists don’t know about this virus – and that includes the possibility of it infecting people more than once.

Reports from China and Japan suggest that a small number of people recovered from the virus and then tested positive again within weeks.

But there may be several reasons why that appears to be the case.

Firstly, the virus may not have completely gone away before they were discharged and allowed home, and then may have got worse again.

Secondly, although tests are used to determine if the virus is still present, they are not always accurate and may not be sensitive enough to detect dormant virus or very low-level symptoms.

Anal swabs, which have been used, are not totally reliable at picking up the virus either.

The fact is that more information on these specific cases is needed before scientists can come to any conclusions about whether the virus gives future immunity.

If reinfection is possible, some experts say the virus could act like the flu or common cold and infect people on a seasonal basis.

A mother-of-two who is among more than 160 Britons quarantined in a coronavirus-hit hotel in Tenerife says she and her family feel "very unsafe" and have not left their rooms.

Lara Pennington, who is staying at the locked down H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel with her two young children and elderly parents-in-law, says she will not put them "at risk" by having them leave their rooms as she believes quarantine rules are not being enforced or followed by guests.

She says she was told by a medic that they could leave their rooms as long as they followed rules such as wearing face masks but adds that she witnessed other guests walking around the hotel without them.

"We do not believe this is being enforced in a safe way and we believe it is being run exactly like it was on the [Diamond Princess] cruise ship and we all know that that did not work," she says.

New cases of Covid-19, the infection caused by the new coronavirus, continue to spread at a rapid pace around the world.

These two graphics illustrate the scale of the outbreak worldwide.

In its latest situation report, the WHO says almost 3,000 cases have been confirmed in 37 countries outside China.

For the first time, there have been more new cases reported from countries outside of China than inside, the WHO says.

France and Germany have warned their populations that they are facing an epidemic but Italy, the country worst affected in Europe, says misleading news is creating an "infodemic".

Read more here.

The Oscar-winning actress has shared a picture of herself wearing a black face mask, apparently mirroring a role she played in a film about a deadly virus.

She posted the selfie during a flight to Paris, France, where cases of a real-life deadly virus have been confirmed.

In the post, she appeared to refer to the 2011 movie Contagion.

"En route to Paris. Paranoid? Prudent? Panicked? Placid? Pandemic? Propaganda?" she wrote.

"Paltrow's just going to go ahead and sleep with this thing on the plane. I've already been in this movie. Stay safe. Don't shake hands. Wash hands frequently."

Two more people have tested positive for the new coronavirus in Greece, bringing the total number of cases in the country to three.

Greece’s health minister Vasilis Kikilias said all carnival festivities planned for the weekend would be cancelled.

Meanwhile, new cases continue to be reported in countries across Europe.

Here are the latest figures from the European countries with the most cases:

• Italy - 528
• Germany - 18
• France - 18
• UK - 15
• Spain - 12

James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent, BBC News

Iran almost certainly has far more cases than are being reported.

There are 26 deaths out of 246 people known to have been infected with the coronavirus in the country.

That gives a fatality rate of more than 10%, which is massively out of line with other nations.

The actual death rate of the virus is thought to be in the region of 1%. It is possible the virus has hit an exceptionally vulnerable group in Iran.

But the most likely explanation is Iran has a much larger pool of people infected with coronavirus.

Many scientists have concerns about Iran’s ability to contain the virus and cases in other countries have been linked to Iran.

Here is some more analysis by James:

How close are we to a pandemic?

Much remains unknown about the effects of the new coronavirus on the body. That’s because more research is needed before conclusions can be drawn.

However, studies have provided us with some answers. One was a study of more than 44,000 confirmed cases of the disease by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control (CCDC) and here’s a brief overview of what it found:

• The virus infects the tissues and airways deep inside the lungs rather than the nose
• Fever, fatigue and a dry cough are the most common symptoms for patients
• The disease can progress to pneumonia and ultimately organ failure
• Recovery depends on the strength of the immune system. That means the elderly or those with underlying health conditions are more vulnerable
• Of the cases examined, 81% developed mild symptoms

You can read BBC health correspondent James Gallagher's full piece about the CCDC study here.

Image source, Science Photo Library

California reported its first case on Wednesday - and it's in someone who had not travelled abroad or been in contact with a confirmed case.

President Donald Trump said the risk to the US was “very low” and suggested that the spread of the virus had been contained.

But Mr Trump’s opponents (remember, it’s a presidential election year in the US) attacked funding cuts to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention CDC, at an event on Wednesday.

The spread of the infection is inevitable, the CDC has said. Flawed kits were distributed by the CDC, external, which has limited America’s ability to test for the virus.

There are 59 cases in the US, including the 42 people brought back from cruise ship Diamond Princess.

NHS staff have now been asked to shave their beards to allow face masks to fit more securely.

Earlier we told you about an infographic, published by America's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a 2017, showing different sorts of beards and whether they are compatible with respirators. It's been widely shared on social media despite the advice being unrelated to the current coronavirus outbreak.

Now hospital bosses at Southampton University NHS Trust in the UK have sent a mass email to staff with the image attached, telling about the "known problem" with ill-fitting masks on hairy faces.

The email from medical director Derek Sandeman says facial hair "compromises the ability to protect any individual through a mask".

He adds: "I am writing to ask those who do not have a strong cultural or religious reason for a beard and who are working in at-risk areas to consider shaving.

"I recognise for some this is a big ask, that beards are so popular at present. However I do believe this is the right thing to do."

According to the Health and Safety Executive, stubble and beards "make it impossible to get a good seal of the mask to the face". , external

Normally tourists jostle for space in the hectic city of Venice, but the quarantine in northern Italy has emptied the streets and cafes.

The death toll in Italy has now increased to 14.

Emirates airline says passengers from a number of countries - including China, Japan, Italy, Iran, India and Pakistan - won't be allowed to fly with them to Saudi Arabia. It comes after Saudi Arabia barred foreign visitors going on pilgrimage or Umrah in the country. Saudi Arabia has not reported any cases of the virus.