The end of the Covid-19 pandemic is not even close yet, World Health Organization (WHO) leader, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told a news conference on Monday.

Tedros noted that, six months after China first alerted the WHO to a new respiratory infection, a total of 10,000,000 cases of infection and 500,000 deaths from Covid-19 has been reached.

"Most people are still susceptible to infection. The virus still has a lot of room to spread," he warned.

"We all want this to end. We all want to get on with our lives. But the harsh reality is that this is not even close to the end yet. Although many countries have made some progress, the global pandemic is actually accelerating," added Ghebreyesus.

WHO emergency program leader Mike Ryan said huge progress has been made in finding a safe and effective vaccine against Covid-19, but that there is no guarantee yet that these efforts will be successful.

Meanwhile, countries can fight the spread of the infection by testing, isolating confirmed cases and monitoring their contacts, Ryan said. He particularly highlighted the “comprehensive, persistent strategies” of Japan, South Korea and Germany in the fight against the infection.

The WHO plans to convene a meeting this week to assess progress in the fight against Covid-19, Tedros said. He added that the WHO is sending an expert group next week to investigate the source of the new virus.

The United States, the most vocal critic of the WHO, who also announced their departure from the organization, has called for an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus. US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that the virus originated from a Chinese laboratory, although they have yet to present any hard evidence to back up their claims. China strongly rejects such claims.