The United Nations warned the COVID-19 pandemic could trigger ‘biblical famines’ around the world.

This comes as fatalities from the deadly infection surpassed 174,000 worldwide.

The World Food Programme also warned that the economic impact of coronavirus could result in a ‘humanitarian catastrophe,’ with the number of individuals suffering from starvation projected to 265 million this year.

Countries around the world are debating over how and when to relax lockdowns imposed to stop the spread of coronavirus. Leaders are worried about the signs of social tension and economic costs but fear of triggering another wave of infections.

WFP Director David Beasley said in a video conference: “We are on the brink of a hunger pandemic. Millions of civilians living in conflict-scarred nations, including many women and children, face being pushed to the brink of starvation, with the spectre of famine a very real and dangerous possibility.”

Beasley also said that the worst-case scenario could see famine in three dozen countries.

A group of 20 agriculture ministers pledged to guarantee ‘sufficient’ supplies of food for ‘the poorest, the most vulnerable, and displaced people.’

Before the crisis, the WFP director was appealing to donor nations to increase relief funding to poor nations as natural disaster and war were putting severe strain on food systems.

“I was already saying that 2020 would be the worst year since the Second World War, on the basis of what we forecast at the end of last year,” he told the Guardian.

“Now, my goodness, this [the virus] is a perfect storm…[it has] taken us to uncharted territory. We are looking at widespread famines of biblical proportions.”

The US is currently the hardest-hit country with 878,974 confirmed cases as of April 24 and 49,754 fatalities.

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