A virus outbreak that began in China nearly three months ago has now infected more than 1,000 people in the United States.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization announced that it was characterizing the outbreak as a global pandemic.

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"We have therefore made the assessment that #COVID19 can be characterized as a pandemic"-@DrTedros #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/JqdsM2051A

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 11, 2020

Nearly 120,000 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus worldwide, mostly in China, according to data provided by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. 

Six cases have been reported in Louisiana as of Wednesday afternoon, five in the New Orleans area and a sixth in St. Tammany Parish.