Coronavirus emergency 'holds a very grave threat' for world, says WHO

China's coronavirus outbreak poses a "very grave threat for the rest of the world," the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday in an appeal for sharing virus samples and speeding up research into drugs and vaccines.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was addressing the start of a two-day meeting aimed at accelerating research into drugs, diagnostics and vaccines into the flu-like virus amid growing concerns about its ability to spread.

To date China has reported 42,708 confirmed cases, including 1,017 deaths, Ghebreyesus said.

"With 99 percent of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world," he told more than 400 researchers and national authorities, including some taking part by video conference from mainland China and Taiwan.