SANTIAGO, March 4 (Xinhua) -- South American countries have agreed to create a high-level committee to coordinate a regional response to the spread of COVID-19, a top Chilean official said on Wednesday.

The committee will be comprised of member countries of the Forum for the Progress and Development of South America, commonly known as Prosur, Chilean Health Minister Jaime Manalich said at a press conference.

"We have proposed to member countries of Prosur a high-level committee to coordinate what actions are the right ones," Manalich said.

Prior to the announcement, Chile organized a teleconference attended by representatives of Prosur countries.

"The objective of the conference was to exchange information on the current state of the virus in other Latin American countries, find out what they are doing and exchange experiences," Chilean Foreign Minister Teodoro Ribera said.

There is a "common consensus" among countries that containing the virus should be handled "collectively" to improve efficiency, he said.

In addition to Chile, which now holds the rotating presidency of Prosur, the forum also includes Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay and Peru. Bolivia and Uruguay took part in the conference as observer countries.  ■