WHO said yesterday was the first time there were more cases of nCoV infection outside of China than in China, marking a change in the course of the epidemic.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told diplomats in Geneva today that the number of new infections in China on February 25 was 411 while the number of new nCoVs in other countries was 427.

Tedros said the "sudden increase in cases" in other countries was "very ominous" and said a WHO team would visit Iran later this week to assess the situation.

The major outbreaks outside China were South Korea, Diamond Princess yacht, Italy and Iran. Cases of Iran-related nCoV have been confirmed in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and Oman. Cases involving Italy have been reported in Algeria, Austria, Croatia, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil and Greece.

The Covid-19 outbreak has been reported in 41 countries and territories after the outbreak in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Worldwide, more than 81,000 people have been infected with nCoV, more than 2,700 have died and more than 30,000 have recovered. Of these, 2,715 died and more than 78,000 were infected in mainland China. More than 3,100 cases have been recorded outside mainland China, more than 50 deaths in Japan, South Korea, France, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Iran and Italy.