we crossed 100,000 reported cases of covid-19 in 100 [countries].

It's certainly travelling, that so many people and countries have been affected

so quickly.

Now that the virus has a foothold in so many countries,

the threat of a pandemic has become very real.

But it would be the first pandemic in history that could be controlled.

The bottom line is we are not at the mercy of the virus.

Of the four countries with the most cases, China is bringing its epidemic

under control and there is now a decline in new cases being reported

from the Republic of Korea.

Both of these countries demonstrate that it's never too late to turn back

the tide of the virus.

The rule of the game is never give up.

I'll repeat that.

The rule of the game is never give up.

We're encouraged that Italy is taking aggressive measures

to contain its epidemic, and we hope that those measures prove effective

in the coming days.

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.