World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a press conference at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, on June 25. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images
World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday the coronavirus pandemic is "far from over" and "is actually speeding up," as countries continue to reopen economies.
By the numbers: More than 505,500 people have died from COVID-19 and over 10.3 million have tested positive for the virus worldwide as of Tuesday morning, per Johns Hopkins. More than 5.5 million have recovered.
- The U.S. (2.59 million) and Brazil (1.36 million) continue to record by far the most new cases.
The big picture: Tedros said although some countries have made progress, "the worst is yet to come." He added a "lack of national unity and lack of global solidarity" was "helping the virus to spread."
- President Trump announced in May plans to end funding for the WHO, citing "repeated missteps" during the pandemic and demanding it "demonstrate independence from China."
- On Monday, Tedros said the WHO would send a team to China to investigate the outbreak's origins. "We can fight the virus better when we know everything about the virus, including how it started," he said.
Go deeper: CDC expert warns U.S. has "way too much virus" to contain outbreak