GENEVA, April 1 (CGTN) - In the next few days, the world will see confirmed COVID-19 cases reach one million and the death tally climb to 50,000, the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) noted on Wednesday.

"As we enter the fourth month since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am deeply concerned about the rapid escalation and global spread of infection," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a daily briefing.

So far, more than 820,000 cases have been confirmed in 205 countries and regions with 40,777 deaths, according to the organization.

Tedros said the organization, as well as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, are calling for debt relief to help developing countries address the social and economic consequences of the pandemic.

"Many countries, developing countries, cannot really support their societies especially during lockdowns, especially those community members who work for their daily bread. That is why we call on the international community to have debt relief to support those countries," Tedros told reporters.

"We are proposing an expedited process to support countries so their economies are not getting into crisis, (and) their communities are not getting into crisis," Tedros said.