Coronavirus is biggest challenge since World War II

The current coronavirus outbreak is the biggest challenge for the world since World War Two, UN Secretary General António Guterres has warned.

He said it could bring a recession “that probably has no parallel in the recent past”.

Mr Guterres was speaking at the launch of a UN report on the potential socioeconomic impact of the outbreak.

The number of confirmed cases around the world is now nearing 850,000, with more than 41,000 deaths.

The death toll in the US is now more than 3,600 – higher than that in China, where the outbreak began late last year.

More than 181,000 people in America have been infected, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.