Deaths in Singapore 'inevitable' as coronavirus spreads globally - minister

Members of the multi-ministry taskforce, Director of Medical Services at the Ministry of Health Kenneth Mark, Minister of Health Gan Kim Yong, Minister of National Development Lawrence Wong and Liew Wei Li, Director of Schools, Ministry of Education, give a news conference after raising the coronavirus outbreak alert to Orange in Singapore, February 7, 2020. REUTERS/Aradhana Aravindan

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Praised by the World Health Organisation for its efforts to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, Singapore warned on Friday that deaths in the city state would become "inevitable" as a global pandemic emerges.

Since erupting in China late last year, the epidemic has spread to other parts of the world with cases recently mounting in Europe and North America.