Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General | File photo PHOTO//Getty images

The Secretary General of the United Nations has called for “an immediate coordinated health response to suppress transmission and end the coronavirus pandemic”.

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 in December 2019.

In Africa nearly 5,444 cases were reported, as of Tuesday.

The UN chief, Antonio Guterres urged the industrialized nations to help those less developed, or potentially face the nightmare of the disease spreading like wildfire”.

“It is essential that developed countries immediately assist those less developed to bolster their health systems and their response capacity to stop transmission,” he said at a launch of a UN report on the potential socioeconomic impact of the outbreak yesterday.

The UN report estimates that up to 25 million jobs could be lost around the world as the result of the outbreak.

The UN chief emphasizes that COVID-19 is the greatest test that the world is facing since the formation of the United Nations.

“The world is facing unprecedented test and this is the moment of truth. We must respond decisively innovatively together to suppress the spread of the virus and address the socioeconomic devastation that covid-19 is causing in all regions,” Guterres added.