Bengaluru: In what comes as extremely worrying, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that the vaccine for the coronavirus will take at least another 12-18 months. 

Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in his presser, said, “One of the most important areas of international cooperation is research and development. A vaccine is still at least 12 to 18 months away. In the meantime, we recognize that there is an urgent need for therapeutics to treat patients and save lives."

At the time of writing this article, the number of positive cases stands at 873 while the deaths stand at 20 in India. 

Globally, the number of positive cases stands at 597, 304 while the number of deaths stands at 27, 364.

India is presently observing the fourth day of the lockdown. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a 21-day lockdown till April 14.

The highest number of cases has been reported from Kerala - 176 cases and Maharashtra - 180 cases, as reported by Republic TV. 

In Italy, it is reported that 969 COVID-19-related deaths took place in a single day, bringing the country's total to nearly 10,000. Italy currently has over 86,000 cases.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States rose past 100,000 on Friday (March 27), according a tracker run by Johns Hopkins University. Over 1,500 people have died. The highest number of cases is in the state of New York, at over 44,000. Out of this, over 25,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in New York City alone.

The death toll in Spain rose to 4,858, after 769 people died in a 24-hour span. Spain has over 64,000 COVID-19 cases.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Friday that he too has tested positive for Coronavirus and is in self-quarantine. 

As of now, the best preventive measure available  is to stay indoor and maintain social distancing.