The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the fast-spreading coronavirus from China as a global health emergency — a rare designation that helps the international agency mobilize financial and political support to contain the outbreak.

The announcement comes just hours after the U.S. confirmed its first human-to-human transmission of the virus.

As the new zoonotic virus from Wuhan, China has already spread to 23 countries with 9,821 confirmed cases and 213 deaths at this moment while continuing to rise rapidly.

WHO defines a global health emergency, also known as a “public health emergency of international concern,” as an “extraordinary event” that is “serious, unusual or unexpected.”

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a news conference at the organization’s Geneva headquarters that “over the past few weeks we have witnessed the emergence of a previously unknown pathogen that has escalated into an unprecedented outbreak. We must act together now to limit the spread.”

“Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems and which are ill-prepared to deal with it,” Tedros said.

“To the people of China and to all of those around the world who have been affected by this outbreak, we want you to know that the world stands with you,” Tedros said. “We must remember that these are people, not numbers.”

The number of confirmed cases are expected to grow since there are more than 12,100 suspected cases in China that are either awaiting test results or haven’t been tested yet, on top of the cases already confirmed in the country.

In a separate news conference, Tedros said the “continued increase in cases and the evidence of human-to-human transmission outside of China are, of course, most deeply disturbing. … Although the numbers outside China are still relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak.”

The Biblical prophecies (Matthew 24, Luke 21) foretell that pestilence will be a sign of the Last Days indicating the coming end of this age of grace.

These events and conditions happening now are signs pointing to the nearing fulfillment of the Last Days prophecies at the end of this age revealing it’s time to prepare for the nearing appearance of Jesus Christ for His Church by being born again spiritually into the Kingdom of God as Jesus said we must (John 3) and His Apostles who were authorized (Matthew 16:19) described how (Acts 2).

Preparing those Biblically born again into the Kingdom of God to be ready to escape all the things that will come to pass, in the wrath of the tribulation of Revelation prophecy, that comes upon the world of disobedience. As the born again Church is not appointed unto wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10) but instead to salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

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