World faces shortage of protective equipment against coronavirus

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The world is facing a shortage of masks and other protective equipment against the new coronavirus, warned Tedros Gebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, on Friday.

"The world is facing a chronic shortage of personal protective equipment," Gebreyesus said at a meeting of the WHO Executive Board in Geneva.

He announced that he would talk to supply chain officials to try to resolve the "bottleneck" in production.

The Chinese government declared an urgent need for protective masks earlier this week to deal with the viral pneumonia epidemic, which has infected more than 31,000 people in China, of whom 636 have died, according to the latest official report.

The World Health Organization will send masks, gloves, protective clothing, respiratory equipment, or virus detection kits to countries requesting assistance this week.