The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday warned young people they were "not invincible" against the coronavirus pandemic, and said their self-restraint could save the lives of older people.

"Today I have a message for young people: You are not invincible. This virus could put you in the hospital for weeks – or even kill you. Even if you don't get sick, the choices you make about where you go could be the difference between life and death for someone else," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a virtual press conference in Geneva.

The novel coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, emerged in Wuhan, China, last December and has spread to at least 163 countries and territories. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a pandemic.

Out of more than 246,000 confirmed cases, the death toll now exceeds 10,000 and over 86,000 have recovered, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the rising number of cases, most who become infected suffer only mild symptoms and recover.