What is a pandemic and what happens when one is declared? Where in the
UK have cases of coronavirus been detected? Where in
London have coronavirus cases been detected? Budget 2020 - key funding announcements for Coronavirus fight Is it time to stop using public transport? Subscribe to The Telegraph, free for one month Get daily coronavirus updates in your inbox The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. "Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization said. He added: "We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus. And we have never before seen a pandemic that can be controlled at the same time. WHO has been in full response mode since we were notified of the first cases." A total of 456 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 9am on Wednesday, up from 373 at the same point on Tuesday, the Department of Health said. The 83 new cases represent the biggest rise yet, since the first case was detected in the UK at the end of January. Six people have now died in the UK after testing positive for the virus. A
British man died in
Japan last month after becoming infected aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, and a 53-year-old British woman died in Bali after contracting the virus - bringing the total to UK deaths to eight. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has set out a three-part plan to deal with the economic impact of the coronvarius in the 2020 Budget, costing £30bn including a £5bn emergency response fund for the NHS.