"Let hope be the antidote to fear. Let solidarity be the antidote to blame. Let our shared humanity be the antidote to our shared threat." Those were the passionate words of World Health Organization (WHO) director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday. 

In a WHO press conference in Geneva, Ghebreyesus did, however, admit to the threat of a pandemic as a result of COVID-19. 

"Now that the virus has a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become very real," He said.

However the director-general was optimistic about controlling the virus: "It would be the first pandemic that could be controlled. The bottom line is, we are not at the mercy of the virus."

Deaths and cases are on the up worldwide, with nearly 110,000 confirmed cases. Four countries currently account for 93 percent of these infections. 

Ghebreyesus was also very encouraged by Italy's measures to try to contain the virus and, despite much of northern Italy currently on lockdown, is hoping those actions prove effective in the coming days in the form of a slowdown in cases.

Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO health emergencies program, was asked what criteria the COVID-19 outbreak has to fulfill to be deemed a pandemic. 

"I think the principle underlying pandemic is ... that somewhere a disease's 'further point,' from country to country, cannot be controlled."

Ryan also said, if this was an outbreak influenza, then it would've been called a pandemic ages ago, as the transmission of influenza is known, whereas the transmission of COVID-19 remains unknown.