Who officially declares coronavirus a global pandemic cnn

According to CNN, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.

In a press conference, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "Pandemic is not a word to be used lightly. It is a formal declaration that is made by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (IHR). It is a declaration that is made when there is a significant risk of international spread of a disease."

The WHO made this declaration after a surge in cases and deaths worldwide, particularly in Europe and the United States. At the time, there were over 118,000 reported cases and over 4,000 reported deaths globally.

Here's the CNN article from March 11, 2020:

"WHO declares COVID-19 a global pandemic

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic on Wednesday, saying the virus has spread to every region of the world and that the number of cases is doubling every 3-4 days.

The declaration comes as the number of reported cases worldwide surpassed 118,000 and the death toll reached over 4,000.

The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made the announcement at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

'A pandemic is a formal declaration that is made by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (IHR),' Ghebreyesus said. 'It is a declaration that is made when there is a significant risk of international spread of a disease.'"

Source: CNN, "WHO declares COVID-19 a global pandemic" (March 11, 2020)