GENEVA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The number of new COVID-19 cases appears to be declining in South Korea, which is an encouraging sign that the disease can be pushed back when engaged with the entire machinery of government, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

"We see encouraging signs from the Republic of Korea. The number of newly-reported cases appears to be declining, and the cases that are being reported are being identified primarily from known clusters," said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a daily briefing.

The latest WHO statistics showed that a total of 95,265 reported cases of COVID-19 globally and 3,281 deaths have been recorded as of Thursday. In the past 24 hours, China reported 143 cases, mostly from Hubei province, and eight provinces have not reported any cases in the last 14 days. Outside China, 2,055 cases have been reported in 33 countries, with around 80 percent from three countries.

"This epidemic can be pushed back, but only with a collective, coordinated and comprehensive approach that engages the entire machinery of government," the WHO chief said, calling on every country to act "with speed, scale and clear-minded determination."

He urged that the actions start with leadership from the top, coordinating every part of government, including the ministries of health, security, diplomacy, finance, commerce, transport, trade, information and more. "The whole government should be involved," he said.

"If countries act aggressively to find, isolate and treat cases, and to trace every contact, they can change the trajectory of this epidemic," he noted.

Meanwhile, Dr. Tedros thanked the media on Thursday for providing truthful information on the COVID-19 outbreak and fighting against rumors and misinformation.

The media played a "vital role in the response to COVID-19 ... The fight against rumors and misinformation is a vital part of the battle against this virus," he said.  ■