Coronavirus has pandemic potential, but it's not there yet, World Health Organization says

(CNN) -- World Health Organization Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today coronavirus has pandemic potential — but it’s not there yet.

Tedros said the decision to use the word pandemic is based on ongoing assessments of the geographic spread of the virus, severity and impact of the society and for the moment they are not witnessing the uncontained global spread of this virus.

He said the virus is affecting countries across the world in different ways and requires a tailored response, adding it’s not a one-size-fits-all response.

WHO had previously declared Coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern.

Remember: There is no precise, mathematical definition of a pandemic.

Outbreaks get characterized as pandemics by epidemiologists — who are not yet using the term. That's because they've yet to see sustained transmission among people who have not recently traveled to China or had close contact with someone who recently traveled to China.

It's not enough for a cluster of disease in a country to exist and even spread — it has to spread in a sustained way, from person to person, time and time again, through many generations of transmission.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Coronavirus has pandemic potential, but it's not there yet, World Health Organization says"