Boris Johnson still in intensive care; US protective equipment stockpile nearly empty; virus could push 500m people into povertyThe cluster effect: how social gatherings were rocket fuel for coronavirusCoronavirus latest: at a glanceUK coronavirus updates - liveAustralia coronavirus updates - liveSee all of our coronavirus coverage 11.42am BST The United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, has issued a statement in support of the World Health Organization, after it came under attack from critics, including the US president, who claimed it was in hock to China. Guterres´s statement comes after WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gave a spirited defence of the work of the WHO, and himself, in response to questions from journalists during a press briefing yesterday. Donald Trump had said on Twitter that the WHO `really blew it` adding that the organisation was `for some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric.`It is my belief that the World Health Organization must be supported, as it is absolutely critical to the world´s efforts to win the war against COVID-19.This virus is unprecedented in our lifetime and requires an unprecedented response. Obviously, in such conditions, it is possible that the same facts have had different readings by different entities. Once we have finally turned the page on this epidemic, there must be a time to look back fully to understand how such a disease emerged and spread its devastation so quickly across the globe, and how all those involved reacted to the crisis. The lessons learned will be essential to effectively address similar challenges, as they may arise in the future. 11.30am BST The official death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Iran has passed 4,000, the country´s health ministry reported on Thursday, after 117 more people were confirmed to have died from the disease in the past 24 hours. Kianoush Jahanpour, the health ministry spokesman, said the total death toll in th ...
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