WHO, China could have acted faster on coronavirus pandemic, says experts

China and the World Health Organization (WHO) could have acted faster to avert catastrophe during the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak, a panel of independent experts has concluded.

The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response said its evaluation of the start of the crisis in China "suggests that there was potential for early signs to have been acted on more rapidly".

Containment measures should have been implemented immediately in all countries where transmission was likely, the panel said in their second report, due to be presented to the WHO's executive board on Tuesday.