WHO increases coronavirus risk to 'very high'; whistleblower says US workers weren't ready for evacuees

The World Health Organization on Friday increased its coronavirus risk assessment to "very high" as cases outside of China continue to increase. But officials caution the virus can still be contained if the chain of transmission can be broken.

"What we see at the moment are linked epidemics of COVID-19 in several countries, but most cases can still be traced to known contacts or clusters of cases. We do not see evidence as yet that the virus is spreading freely in communities," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General, on Friday. 

"As long as that’s the case, we still have a chance of containing this coronavirus, if robust action is taken to detect cases early, isolate and care for patients and trace contacts."

Meanwhile, more than 20 vaccines are being developed worldwide with results from clinical trials expected in a few weeks, he said.

The coronavirus outbreak has infected more than 83,000 people and killed nearly 3,000 people globally as of Friday morning.

China, though hardest hit, has seen lower numbers of new infections, with 327 additional cases reported Friday, bringing the country's total to 78,824. South Korea has recorded 2,337 cases, the most outside of China.