BEIJING -- The global numbers for the novel coronavirus infections are growing rapidly and are clearly far from having reached the peak, an expert from the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday.

The only way that the pandemic will be overcome is when everyone has immunity either from being exposed to the virus or taking a vaccine that provides the immunity, said Dr. Gauden Galea, WHO representative in China, at a press conference.

"Until such a time, we are given what we might call the old-fashioned public health methods that have stood the test of time. We need to assess the risks at levels that range from at the top of country-level down to the individuals," he said, who called for "testing, testing and testing" to improve risk assessment and prevention measures such as hand washing and respiratory etiquette.

Active case finding and contact tracing, as well as the principle of early identification, reporting, isolation and treatment adopted by China, are also important to stemming the spread of the virus, according to Dr. Galea.

He also stressed the attitude of solidarity and cooperation at national and international levels for the world to defeat the pandemic.