The World Health Organization warned countries on Monday to be ready for a "potential pandemic" as new deaths and infections in Europe, the
Middle East and Asia triggered more drastic efforts to contain the new coronavirus.
The number of fatalities in
China -- where the virus emerged late last year -- also continued to soar, with 150 more deaths taking the official toll to nearly 2,600.
Chinese authorities insist they are containing the virus, citing slowing infection rates, thanks to unprecedented lockdowns and quarantines in or near the outbreak's epicentre.