The World Health Organization says that the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, outbreak has reached the stage where it can be described as a pandemic.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, or WHO, made the declaration at a daily briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

"WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction," Tedros said.

"We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic."

WHO said that in the past two weeks, the number of cases of COVID-19 outside China had increased thirteen fold and the number of affected countries had tripled.

There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives, according to WHO.

"Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly," he added.

"It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death."

He said that describing the situation as a pandemic does not change WHO's assessment of the threat posed by the coronavirus, nor should it change the course of action WHO recommends that countries take.