“If the basics aren’t followed, there is only one way this pandemic is going to go,” Tedros said. “It’s going to get worse and worse and worse.”

Meanwhile, two WHO experts were in China for a mission to trace the origin of the pandemic. The virus was first detected in central China’s city of Wuhan late last year. Beijing had been reluctant to allow a probe but relented after scores of countries called on the WHO to conduct a thorough investigation.

The number of cases stood at 3,380,218 in Latin America and the Caribbean, including 144,847 fatalities. And in Europe, 2,849,335 infections have been recorded and 202,780 deaths.

The spread of the pandemic is accelerating across the globe, with more than 2.6 million new cases detected since July 1. The tallies probably reflect only a fraction of the number of infections as many countries test only the most serious cases.