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Coronavirus pandemic - World News

Its a matter of time before it reaches Africa and South Asia. Thats when things will enter into a chaos mode. China is in a virtual lockdown.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Breaking News: Brazil confirmed a case of the new coronavirus, the first in Latin America <a href="https://t.co/h5dPY1Hpnx">https://t.co/h5dPY1Hpnx</a></p>— The New York Times (@nytimes) <a href="https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1232678816356732928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
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First coronavirus case reported in Norway

A person has tested positive for coronavirus in Norway, the country’s Institute for Public Health (NIPH) announced in a statement. This is the first case recorded in the Scandinavian country.

The person has no symptoms but was tested after returning from an area of China affected by the outbreak. The NIPH said it was a “weak positive result."

“The NIPH considers it very unlikely that the person poses an infection risk to others," said Line Vold, director of the Department of Infection Control and Preparedness at NIPH.
As a precaution, the person is undergoing quarantine at their home, Vold added.

https://edition.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-02-26-20-intl-hnk/index.html
 
It was only a matter of time. Hopefully it will not spread:(
 
Saudi Arabia is stopping foreign pilgrims entering the country

It is not clear if the Hajj pilgrimage, which begins in July this year, will be affected

Non-religious tourists from virus-affected countries are also being barred from the country

Italy now has 400 cases - a 25% surge in a day

Several European countries have announced new cases, traced to Italy

Globally, more than 80,000 people in more than 40 countries have been infected

Cases and deaths are also up in China, although mainly in Hubei

Australia extends ban on foreign visitors from mainland China
 
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Coronavirus: Two new cases confirmed in UK

Two more patients have tested positive for coronavirus in England, bringing the total number of UK cases to 15.

They have been transferred to specialist NHS infection centres in Liverpool and London, the Department of Health said.

The virus was passed on while they were in Italy and Tenerife, said England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty.

Ministers have said they expect more cases to emerge.

The new patients are being treated at specialist centres at the Royal Free Hospital, London, and the Royal Liverpool Hospital.

The BBC understands that the person who contracted the virus in Tenerife is from Derbyshire, and that a school in the county has closed because of the case.

It is not clear which part of the UK the other person is from. They contracted the virus in northern Italy.

Italy now has more than 400 cases of coronavirus with authorities there reporting that 12 people have died.

And in Tenerife, 168 Britons have been told to isolate themselves at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel.

Globally, more than 80,000 people in more than 40 countries have now been infected.

Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, has killed more than 2,700 people. Most of the deaths have been in China, where the virus originated in December.

The new cases in England come as the government is set to launch a public information campaign, which will focus on hygiene and how to prevent the spread of infection.

The current advice is to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when you cough or sneeze, throw away tissues immediately after use and wash your hands frequently.

It also advised to avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unclean hands and avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

Ministers and public health officials had always been clear there would be more cases in the UK given the way coronavirus has spread around the globe.

Teams from Public Health England will be busy tracing the contacts these two individuals have had on their journeys from Italy and Tenerife and since they returned.

This detective work will be essential in containing any further spread of the virus.
At the moment we haven't had any human-to-human transmission in the UK.

The British government is hopeful it can contain outbreaks.

But even if it doesn't, it wants to delay them until the spring or summer when the weather will be warmer and there will be less intense pressure on the NHS.

More than 7,000 people in the UK have been tested for the virus.

Of the 15 to have tested positive, eight have so far been discharged from hospital.

The risk level in the UK was raised to moderate after the World Health Organization declared it a public health emergency of international concern.

What is the travel advice?
The Foreign Office is warning against all but essential travel to 11 quarantined towns in Italy.

The Department for Health and Social Care says anyone returning from those towns must call the NHS 111 helpline and self-isolate.

People who have returned from Iran and parts of South Korea since 19 February, and from Hubei province in China in the past two weeks, are also advised to call the helpline, stay indoors and avoid contact with other people.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51656609
 
Iran's vice president infected by coronavirus

Masoumeh Ebtekar, vice president of Iran for Women and Family Affairs, has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The vice president is also known as the English-language spokeswoman for the 1979 hostage-takers who seized the US embassy in Tehran and sparked the 444-day diplomatic crisis.

On Tuesday, Iranian officials confirmed that Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi had been infected and was under quarantine.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/trump-ready-coronavirus-live-updates-200226235731205.html
 
Three more patients in England have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of UK cases to 23.

Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said two of the patients had recently travelled back from Italy while the other had returned from Asia.

The cases are from Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire and Berkshire.

Prof Whitty said: "All three are being investigated and contact tracing has begun."

Downing Street said Boris Johnson had spoken with Prof Whitty and the Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Saturday afternoon to ensure everything is being done to limit the spread of the virus and that public services are prepared.

There are reports the government is to use a COBRA meeting on Monday, to agree emergency powers to ensure COVID-19 - the disease caused by the coronavirus - does not get out of control.

Schools, councils and other institutions would be able to suspend some laws to cope with a pandemic.

The measures could also include allowing teachers and nursery workers to have larger classes to cope with staff absences.

Meanwhile, experts have said it is "crucial" to find out how the first person who caught the coronavirus within the UK was exposed to it, as authorities race to piece together their movements.

News of the domestic infection on Friday is a significant moment in the country's battle to stop the coronavirus.

All the other UK cases had been infected abroad.

"Contact tracing" has started on the patient.

Prof Whitty said it was not clear whether the person had contracted it "directly or indirectly" from someone who had recently returned from abroad.

The patient, who lives in Surrey, has been taken to a specialist centre at Guy's and St Thomas' in London.

Haslemere Health Centre in Surrey was closed on Friday, with a statement on its website saying: "The surgery is temporarily closed today to enable a clean of the surgery as a routine precautionary measure."

The surgery has since re-opened.

Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, said it marked a "new chapter" as there was "no known link to an affected area or known case".

"It will be crucial to understand where the infection came from to try to prevent more extensive spread," he said.

He warned the virus "can easily go under the radar" because its symptoms are very similar to a cold or mild flu.

'Wash your hands' - PMs advice on COVID-19

Coronavirus is top priority, says PM
A virus expert from the University of Leeds said the first person-to person transmission was "only a matter of time".

"What now becomes critically important is our ability to identify, isolate and care for infected individuals, and to trace their recent contacts," said Dr Stephen Griffin.

He said that small, localised outbreaks might increase in the UK in the coming weeks - and that it is vital they are contained to keep the situation manageable.

"If we experience a burgeoning epidemic as seen in South Korea it will represent a significant challenge to our already stretched NHS and public health infrastructure," Dr Griffin added.

In other coronavirus developments:

More than £200bn wiped off FTSE share index over virus fears
South Korea warns of "critical moment" and tells people to stay indoors this weekend
France bans all gatherings of more than 5,000 people
85,406 suspected and confirmed cases worldwide, with 2,924 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the disease
First US death confirmed in Washington state
Mexico, Iceland and Nigeria also among nations to confirm first cases on Friday
The prime minister, who will chair Monday's COBRA meeting, has been accused of being slow to act over the outbreak, but he insisted it was the government's "top priority".

He said people are "right to be concerned" about the spread of COVID-19, but the "best advice" to prevent wider spread is to wash your hands with hot water and soap.

The UK chief medical officers have raised the risk to the public from low to moderate but the risk to individuals is said to remain low.

Meanwhile, a British man in his 70s who was on board the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan has become the first UK fatality of the coronavirus.

The Foreign Office is advising against travel to China, South Korea, Iran and northern Italy, locations where the epidemic is most severe.

The World Health Organisation said the outbreak is "getting bigger" as more countries report their first cases.

It has now raised the risk level to its maximum of "very high", meaning an "immediate response" - within hours - is required as soon as a case is suspected.

However, new cases in China, where the virus began, are continuing to slow.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-spread-three-more-cases-in-england-11946268
 
Coronavirus: South Korea churches halt services as cases soar

Roman Catholic churches remained closed across South Korea on Sunday, as officials struggle with a coronavirus outbreak that has led to the cancellation of many public gatherings.

The Catholic Church has an estimated 5,8m members in the country.

Major Protestant groups have also halted Sunday services. All Buddhist events have been called off.

South Korea is battling the worst coronavirus outbreak outside China, with 3,736 cases and 18 deaths so far.

Religion is at the centre of South Korea's outbreak. Authorities say members of the fringe Christian group Shincheonji Church infected one another in the southern city of Daegu last month, before fanning out around the country.

More than 85,403 cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed in over 50 countries, according to the World Health Organization.

The global death toll is more than 2,900. The vast majority of infections and deaths are in China.

On Sunday, Australia and Thailand also recorded their first fatalities from coronavirus.

A 78-year-old Australian man died after being infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan last month.

Thailand, which has had 42 cases of the virus, said a 35-year-old man who died was also suffering from dengue fever.

What's happening in South Korea?
The Catholic Church - one of the main religious communities in the country - has suspended Masses in all its 1,734 parishes until 7 March.

The Church had never taken such a step in 236 years of presence in South Korea.

The country's Buddhist organisations cancelled events earlier this week. Major protestant churches are holding Sunday services online.

In the capital Seoul, worshippers were turned away from the Yoido Full Gospel Church, which posted a sermon for its 560,000 followers on YouTube, Reuters news agency reported.

"I had heard there would be no service, but just came to check," Song Young-koo told Reuters. "It's a wise decision to do it online, since the virus would easily spread at mass gatherings and churches can be no exception."

On Sunday officials said nearly 9,000 followers of the Daegu-based Shincheonji Church were showing signs of the coronavirus and are being tested.

The South Korean government has restricted public events in an effort to stop the virus from spreading. The K-pop group BTS has cancelled a forthcoming concert series in Seoul.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-51695649
 
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The number of people killed worldwide by the coronavirus has exceeded 3,000, as China reported 42 more deaths.

More than 90% of the total deaths are in Hubei, the Chinese province where the virus emerged late last year.

But there have also been deaths in 10 other countries, including more than 50 in Iran and more than 30 in Italy.

Worldwide, there have been almost 90,000 confirmed cases, with the numbers outside China growing faster than inside China.

Live: Latest global updates
But most patients have only mild symptoms, the World Health Organization said on Sunday, and the death rate appears to be between 2% and 5%.

By comparison, the seasonal flu has an average mortality rate of about 0.1% but is highly infectious - with up to 400,000 people dying from it each year.

Other strains of coronavirus, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), have much higher death rates than Covid-19.

What's the global situation?
As the rate of growth in China has declined, the rest of the world has seen a sharp increase in infections.

In the European hotspot of Italy, the number of infections doubled in 48 hours, the head of the country's civil protection body said on Sunday.

There have been at least 34 deaths and 1,694 confirmed cases. Amazon said two of its employees in Italy have the virus and are under quarantine.

In the UK, where there are 36 confirmed cases, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called an emergency Cobra committee for Monday.

On Monday, South Korea - the biggest hotspot outside China - reported 476 new cases, bringing the total number of cases to 4,212.

There have also been 26 deaths.

Of the confirmed cases, 3,081 cases are from Daegu - and 73% of these cases have been linked to the Shincheonji Church.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51701039
 
'Nigeria will deal with this': High alert after coronavirus case

Abuja, Nigeria - Health authorities in Nigeria are ramping up efforts to detect and contain the new coronavirus after Africa's most populous country confirmed its first case, calling on citizens to avoid panicking or spreading unverified information about the disease.

An Italian citizen working in Nigeria tested positive for the virus on Thursday after falling ill following his arrival in the commercial hub of Lagos from Milan in northern Italy, an area that has emerged as Europe's coronavirus hotspot.

The man, who has since been isolated at a hospital in Yaba, is "clinically stable" and has not developed serious symptoms, according to health officials.

"We have already started working to identify all the contacts of the patient since he entered Nigeria," Osagie Ehanire, Nigeria's health minister, told reporters in the capital, Abuja. "We have continued to beef our own security. The level of preparedness continues to improve of Nigeria every day."

Public health professionals who spoke to Al Jazeera expressed confidence in the West African country's ability to contain the spread of the virus. They pointed to key lessons from its successful response to an Ebola outbreak more than five years ago, as well as a series of measures already put in place before the arrival of the coronavirus.

Along with heightening screening at points of entry, particularly at airports, authorities have established testing capacity in four laboratories and expanded surveillance to follow up with travellers from countries affected by the infectious disease - officially known as COVID-19 - within 14 days of arriving in Nigeria.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has also supported the activation of emergency operation centres to serve as coordination platforms, while its Coronavirus Preparedness Group meets daily to review the situation and manage the response efforts.

The agency has meanwhile issued a public health advisory to inform Nigerians about symptoms and preventive measures, and has provided a toll-free number for guidance.

May Ubeku, a public health practitioner and epidemiologist, said Nigerian health authorities were "fully prepared" to contain the spread of the coronavirus, citing the series of measures introduced since January.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/deal-high-alert-coronavirus-case-200301140838366.html
 
Coronavirus reaches national capital: Two new cases detected in Delhi and Telangana


Two people in India tested positive for the dreaded coronavirus that has claimed over 3,000 lives in China so far. One case was detected in New Delhi, while the other is from Telangana. With this, the total number of coronavirus positive cases have now jumped to five.
Click to expand...

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/coronavirus-reaches-national-capital-two-new-cases-detected-in-delhi-and-telangana/articleshow/74438803.cms
 
This is a full list of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus outside mainland China:
1. Afghanistan (1 case)
2. Algeria (1 case)
3. Andorra (1 case)
4. Armenia (1 case)
5. Australia (30 cases, 1 death)
6. Austria (10 cases)
7. Bahrain (47 cases)
8. Belarus (1 case)
9. Belgium (1 case)
10. Brazil (2 cases)
11. Cambodia (1 case)
12. Canada (24 cases)
13. Croatia (6 cases)
14. Czech Republic (1 case)
15. Denmark (3 case)
16. Dominican Republic (1 case)
17. Ecuador (6 cases)
18. Egypt (2 cases)
19. Estonia (1 case)
20. Finland (3 case)
21. France (130 cases, 2 deaths)
22. Georgia (1 case)
23. Germany (150 cases)
24. Greece (7 cases)
25. Hong Kong (98 cases, 2 deaths)
26. Iceland (1 case)
27. India (3 cases)
28. Indonesia (2 cases)
29. Iran (978 cases, 54 deaths)
30. Iraq (19 cases)
31. Ireland (1 case)
32. Israel (7 cases)
33. Italy (1,694 cases, 34 deaths)
34. Japan (944 cases, 12 deaths)
35. Kuwait (56 cases)
36. Lebanon (10 cases)
37. Lithuania (1 case)
38. Luxembourg (1 case)
39. Macao (10 cases)
40. Malaysia (25 cases)
41. Mexico (5 cases)
42. Monaco (1 case)
43. Nepal (1 case)
44. Netherlands (7 cases)
45. New Zealand (1 case)
46. Nigeria (1 case)
47. North Macedonia (1 case)
48. Norway (15 cases)
49. Oman (5 cases)
50. Pakistan (4 case)
51. Philippines (3 cases, 1 death)
52. Qatar (3 cases)
53. Romania (3 cases)
54. Russia (5 cases)
55. San Marino (1 case)
56. Singapore (106 cases)
57. South Korea (4,212 cases, 26 deaths)
58. Spain (73 cases)
59. Sri Lanka (1 case)
60. Sweden (13 cases)
61. Switzerland (18 cases)
62. Taiwan (40 cases, 1 death)
63. Thailand (43 cases, 1 death)
64. United Arab Emirates (19 cases)
65. United Kingdom (35 cases)
66. United States (89 cases, 2 deaths)
67. Vietnam (16 cases)
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/29/asia/coronavirus-cases-worldwide-intl-hnk/index.html.
 
Saudi Arabia announces first case of coronavirus

Saudi Arabia has announced its first case of the new coronavirus, a Saudi national returning from Iran through Bahrain, the Health Ministry said.

The ministry said on its official Twitter account on Monday that the individual, who is in quarantine in hospital, had not disclosed his visit to Iran when entering Saudi Arabia.

Iran has reported the most deaths from the coronavirus outside China, where the flu-like disease originated. Other Gulf Arab states have diagnosed the infection in several people who had visited Iran.

The official Saudi Press Agency, citing the Health Ministry, said people who had interacted with the infected man had been isolated and were being tested.

In neighbouring Bahrain, the health ministry said on Monday two more people were diagnosed with the coronavirus, a Bahraini woman and a Saudi man, both of whom it said took non-direct flights from Iran to Bahrain and were isolated upon arrival and tested.

This brings the total recorded cases in Bahrain to 49.

Saudi Arabia had since last week taken several measures to prevent the spread of the disease to the kingdom.

It imposed a ban on foreigners arriving for the Muslim umrah pilgrimage, Gulf Arab citizens visiting Mecca and Medina, home to Islam's two holiest sites, and tourists from at least 25 states where the virus has been found.

The Health Ministry said on Sunday it had prepared 25 hospitals to handle any coronavirus infections, with 2,200 beds dedicated for quarantine cases.

Pilgrimage is big business for Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, and is the backbone of plans to expand visitor numbers under an ambitious economic reform agenda.

The minor umrah pilgrimage, which can take place at any time of the year, brought 7.5 million people to Saudi Arabia in 2019, according to official figures.

Visits by pilgrims accelerate during the fasting month of Ramadan, beginning this year in late April.

And in late July, some 2 million pilgrims are expected for the week-long haj, the world's largest annual gathering of Muslims, which has a separate visa regime.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1538058/saudi-arabia-announces-first-case-of-coronavirus
 
BREAKING: NHS England has declared coronavirus a "Level 4 incident" - the highest level of emergency.
 
The Viper said:
BREAKING: NHS England has declared coronavirus a "Level 4 incident" - the highest level of emergency.
Click to expand...

Maybe there have been an upsurge of cases today (which will be reported tomorrow).
With only 50 cases i doubt they would have dome that.

But we’ll find out tomorrow
 
Italy death toll reaches 79, surpasses Iran

The death toll from the coronavirus in Italy has climbed to 79, the head of Italy's civil protection agency announced.

Angelo Borelli said 27 more people died from the disease over the past 24 hours with the death toll now surpassing Iran, which has 77 recorded deaths.

The total number of cases in Europe's worst-hit country rose to 2,502 from 2,036 on Monday.

The increase in deaths was the largest since the outbreak surfaced 12 days ago in the wealthy northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-cases-slow-live-updates-200303003539680.html
 
Saudi Arabia Expands Curbs on Religious Pilgrimage to Citizens


Saudi Arabia is temporarily halting a non-compulsory religious pilgrimage for its citizens and residents in response to the coronavirus, state-run news agency SPA said on Wednesday.

The rare step by the kingdom, which hosts Sunni Islam’s holiest sites, expands on restrictions introduced last week for Muslim pilgrims from abroad making the same religious trips and limiting the entry of tourists. The latest measures concern the Umrah pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca and visits to a site in Medina.

“The decision will be under constant review and it will be reversed as soon as the reasons for reversal are present,” SPA quoted an Interior Ministry official as saying.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...spend-umrah-pilgrimage-for-citizens-residents
 
Coronavirus: Total of 85 cases of COVID-19 now confirmed in UK

England's chief medical officer tells Sky News a serious UK coronavirus outbreak is "almost certain" with "some deaths" expected.

Thirty-four new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the UK today, taking the total number to 85.

England's chief medical officer has told Sky News a serious coronavirus outbreak in Britain is "almost certain" with "some deaths" expected.

Professor Chris Whitty, who has been helping to coordinate the government's planning for a potential COVID-19 epidemic, highlighted a six-week window in which the UK's action could be stepped up.

He told Sky News' Kay Burley@Breakfast show: "Although in the longer term we may well be needing people to take more extreme action, at this stage we do not think people need to change what they are doing in terms of their normal behaviour.

"With all epidemics, what happens is they start off very slowly and then they gradually gather momentum and then they suddenly go up relatively fast.


"We usually have a reasonable period of warning before that happens, and we are modelling this out quite carefully, from the time that we get established transmission in the UK... which I think at this time is more likely than not.


"Then there will be a number of weeks, probably about six weeks before we start to see a significant amount of transmission in the UK.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-total-of-85-cases-of-covid-19-now-confirmed-in-uk-11949250
 
Travel bans, events scrapped: Gulf reacts to coronavirus outbreak

Gulf countries introduce range of measures aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Gulf countries have responded to the coronavirus outbreak by introducing travel bans, stepping up screening measures at important entry points and rescheduling - and in some cases cancelling - significant sports and cultural events.

More than 93,000 cases of the virus have been confirmed worldwide, the overwhelming majority in China, where it originated late last year. However, the new coronavirus now appears to be spreading much more rapidly outside the Asian country.

At least 2,476 have so far tested positive in the Gulf region, including hard-hit Iran which has registered 2,336 cases and 77 deaths, including a close adviser of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who died after falling ill from the virus.

Authorities in Iran have closed down schools and universities and cancelled a series of art, film and sports events in a bid to stem the outbreak. They also designated at least 230 hospitals across the country to treat infections.

Khamenei on Tuesday said all public institutions, including the armed forces, need to do their best to support the health ministry in the fight against the virus. Some 300,000 health ministry employees are working to stem the spread of the virus.

Saudi Arabia on Monday registered its first infection, a man who arrived from Iran via Bahrain.

Mohammed Abdelali, a health ministry spokesman, told a news conference on Tuesday that some 70 people whom the infected man interacted with since arriving in the kingdom have been isolated and that their test results are expected within hours.

Also on Tuesday, Saudi officials said additional precautionary measures have been taken at border crossings, including a ban on citizens and residents of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from entering the kingdom for 14 days after returning from places where coronavirus is spread.

The six-member bloc is made up of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.

The kingdom also advised citizens and residents against travelling to Germany and France, where there has been a rising number of infections. Similar advice was issued last week against travel to Japan and Italy.

Meanwhile, the Red Sea International Film Festival said it will postpone its inaugural edition, which was scheduled to run during March 12-21, in the second city of Jeddah.

"The spread of coronavirus is a battle we all must face around the globe," said a statement posted on the festival's website, adding that the new date would be announced as soon as feasible.

The Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship has also postponed its Saudi Arabia Grand Prix indefinitely due to the global outbreak.
On Tuesday, Qatar announced one new case, bringing the total to eight.

Doha had on Sunday imposed a temporary entrance restriction on all those coming from Egypt through intermediate points.

"The measure is temporary due to the spread of COVID-19," the Government Communications Office of Qatar said in a statement sent to Al Jazeera.

MotoGP cancelled its opening round in Qatar this weekend after the country imposed a quarantine on visitors arriving from Italy.

The seventh edition of the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) was also cancelled after after "extensive consultations" with Qatari officials.

In the UAE, which has registered 27 cases, this month's electronic music Ultra festival at Abu Dhabi's 25,000-capacity Du arena, as we well K-pop concert Music Bank at Dubai's 17,000-capacity Coca Cola Arena have both been cancelled.

Festival organisers cited travel restrictions imposed by some countries and airlines due to the rapidly spreading virus in its reasoning for cancelling the two-day festival.

Music Bank organisers cited the spread of the epidemic in South Korea, which is the highest outside China and elsewhere.

The Art Dubai exhibition said this year's event - scheduled to be held this month - will be postponed over concerns of "the on-going global health implications" of the coronavirus.

Conferences, concerts and sporting events are a large draw-card for foreign visitors to the UAE, which has banned all flights to and from Iran over the outbreak.

Dubai's flagship international art fair Art Dubai, scheduled for this month, has been postponed. A women's forum in Abu Dhabi was postponed while a yoga festival in Abu Dhabi and a Hindu Holi festival in Dubai were cancelled.

The opening round of the 2020 World Triathlon Series scheduled in Abu Dhabi this weekend has also been postponed.

American rapper and producer Russ will now perform in Dubai in November instead of March because of the virus. "I know, wild lol (laugh out loud) but outta my control," he said on Twitter.

Oman on Tuesday confirmed six new cases of coronavirus, taking the total there to 12.

The Oman Petroleum & Energy Show (OPES), due to take place in the sultanate in March, has been postponed to September.

Six World Health Organization employees arrived in Tehran on a plane carrying 7.5 tonnes of medical gear, including protective gloves, face masks and respirators.

Germany, France and Britain have promised to also fly urgent medical supplies to Iran to help the country combat the Covid-19 outbreak.

Some of those infected by the new coronavirus develop the pneumonia-like disease Covid-19, which seems to be more dangerous for those with pre-existing lung problems.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...eak-deepens-live-updates-200303233420584.html
 
16 Italian travellers are diagnosed with virus in india, that takes total to 29. All remaining cases are linked to Italy too. But major concern is how much they have travelled across india
 
California has declared a state of emergency after announcing its first coronavirus death, bringing the US death toll from the disease to 11.

The 71-year-old man, who died in a hospital near Sacramento, had underlying health conditions and had been on a cruise ship, said officials.

The White House moved on Wednesday to expand testing nationwide for the disease.

There are now at least 150 reported US patients with Covid-19 in 16 states.

Worldwide, authorities have confirmed more than 92,000 cases of the virus, of which more than 80,000 are in China. More than 3,000 people have died globally, the vast majority in China.

Ten of the 11 US deaths were in Washington state, but the outbreak has also flared up in Texas and Nebraska.

Meanwhile Washington and Florida both declared states of emergency over the weekend to help prevent the coronavirus.

It's believed that the deceased California man became infected aboard the Grand Princess, a cruise ship which made a round trip from San Francisco to Mexico last month.

After the ship docked in San Francisco on 21 February, thousands more passengers boarded and thousands disembarked. The vessel then began a round-trip to Hawaii.

Some 62 passengers were on both the Mexico and the Hawaii trips. They have been restricted to their rooms for testing.

The Grand Princess itself is being held off the coast of California, and state Governor Gavin Newsom said 11 passengers and 10 crew members are potentially infected.

The ship is operated by Carnival, whose Diamond Princess cruise ship was quarantined last month after dozens of passengers tested positive for Covid-19 as it docked in Japan.

What other action is the US taking?
The US government currently prohibits entry to foreign nationals who have visited China - the epicentre of the outbreak - during the past 14 days.

US Vice-President Mike Pence said on Wednesday that any American can be tested for the coronavirus if ordered by a doctor.

Mr Pence, who is leading the US outbreak response, also said that the White House will begin on-camera briefings on the virus.

In addition, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will lift existing restrictions on tests and provide new guidelines for speeding up exams for those who fear they are infected.

But some question how this promise will be kept, as public health laboratories insist their capacity for processing the tests is restricted.

There is also a question of cost, amid reports of uninsured Americans paying upwards of $1,000 (£780) for a test. The US House of Representatives approved $8.3bn in emergency aid on Wednesday to combat the coronavirus.

Some health officials have accused the Trump administration of a slow-footed response to the outbreak, and concerns have been raised about a nationwide shortage of test kits.

In response, President Trump blamed the shortage on regulations adopted by his predecessor, Democratic President Barack Obama. The administration claims it has lifted these regulations by allowing local labs to create their own tests.

Outside of government, United Airlines and Delta have announced cuts to their US flight schedules due to a drop in demand caused by worries over the virus.

What are the latest developments elsewhere?
The worst-hit country outside China is South Korea, which on Wednesday reported 516 new confirmed infections, bringing the total to 5,766. The country's death toll stands at 35.

In an effort to curb the outbreak, South Korea's Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun has announced a ban on face mask exports.

Australia has meanwhile banned entry for all foreign nationals from South Korea. Two people have died from coronavirus in Australia, and another 53 cases have been reported.

Meanwhile, China has reported 139 new cases and 31 deaths, all in Hubei province.

Schools have been closed for at least 10 days in Italy, which is grappling with the worst outbreak outside Asia.

On Thursday, the International Monetary Fund announced $50bn (£39bn) of support for countries hit by the coronavirus. The organisation also warned that global economic growth was now expected to be below the 2.9% rate for 2019.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51740706
 
The number of coronavirus cases in the UK has reached 115 as Downing Street warned a "significant" spread is "highly likely".

The number had stood at 85 following the Department of Health update on Wednesday afternoon.

Here is where the new cases are:

Three new cases had already been confirmed in Scotland today
Twenty-five of the new cases are in England - including eight people who contracted the virus in the UK
The DoH has confirmed there are now 25 cases in London
Liverpool City Council says two of the new cases are within the city, including one person who was a known contact of an existing patient and another who recently returned from Italy
Wales' chief medical officer says a second patient has been identified in the country and is not believed to be linked to the first Welsh patient. They had recently travelled to Italy
The first known case of coronavirus has been confirmed in South Yorkshire, after a patient tested positive for the virus in Rotherham
A Cornwall resident has tested positive for the virus after returning from northern Italy
The prime minister's spokesperson said: "We will continue to try to contain this virus. However it's now highly likely that the virus is going to spread in a significant way.

"Officials will therefore accelerate work on preparations for the delay phase of the government's plan focusing on steps we can take to seek to delay the spread of the virus.

"This will include detailed work on the optimum time to introduce further measures."

It comes as England's chief medical officer told MPs the UK is now in the second phase of its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Professor Chris Whitty said Britain was "mainly" in the "delay" phase of the government's four-stage approach to COVID-19.
But he said he was expecting the number of UK cases to go up over the coming weeks due to evidence of "some level of community transmission".

HSBC has evacuated its entire research department and parts of its trading floor at its Canary Wharf offices after a member of staff tested positive for coronavirus.

Scotland's chief medical officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, said the new Scottish patients are from the Forth Valley, Greater Glasgow & Clyde, and Grampian areas.

All of them tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, after coming into contact with others who already had the virus.

It brings the total number of confirmed cases in Scotland to six.

The infection numbers in real-time
The infection numbers in real-time
Dr Calderwood said: "Clinicians are now conducting contact tracing, the process of gathering details of the places those who have tested positive visited and the people they have been in contact with."

She said close contact involves either face-to-face contact or spending more than 15 minutes within two metres of an infected person.

The risk is very low in situations where someone may have passed a patient on the street or in a shop, she added.

On Wednesday, 36 new patients in the UK were confirmed to have tested positive - 32 in England, two in Scotland and two in Northern Ireland.

The Department of Health said three of the new cases in England contracted the virus in the UK, raising fears that community transmission may now be taking hold.

In its 27-page plan to deal with a major outbreak, the government has said up to one in five workers could be off sick during a peak in coronavirus cases.

In a worst case scenario, it said up to 80% of the population could become infected, with people hospitalised with pneumonia and a relatively high death rate among the elderly and frail.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-three-new-cases-in-scotland-takes-uk-total-to-90-11950018
 
The UK's testing only about 1-2k people every day hence only 18k have been tested.
If they start testing around 5k everyday then that is when we will find out how bad it actually is
 
First death in uk today A patient with underlying medical conditions
 
The White House has acknowledged the nation does not have enough coronavirus test kits as cases of the disease ticked upwards on both US coasts.

Vice-President Mike Pence said the Trump administration would not be able to meet its objective of delivering one million testing kits this week.

Congress meanwhile moved with unusual speed to approve a bumper emergency aid package to combat the outbreak.

Globally, authorities have confirmed more than 92,000 cases of the virus.

The vast majority - more than 80,000 - are in China, where the virus originated. Worldwide, more than 3,000 people have died.

The US death toll from the coronavirus climbed to 12 on Thursday, with all but one of the victims in the north-western US state of Washington.

There are now more than 200 cases of Covid-19 in 20 states.

Where is it spreading?
In Washington, officials in the Seattle area announced 20 new cases of the virus, bringing the total in that state to 70, according to its health department.

Nine of the US dead so far were from the same nursing home in suburban Seattle, which is now being investigated by authorities to see if it followed infection-prevention guidelines.

Some major Seattle-area businesses, including Microsoft and Amazon, have shut down some operations or urged employees to work from home.

New York saw its caseload double overnight to 22, all of them in or near the city. The city's mayor called on the federal government to send more test kits urgently.

About 200 people have been quarantined in the US state of Rhode Island because of their links to a school trip to Italy that has resulted in three cases of the coronavirus.

San Francisco reported its first two cases of the coronavirus on Thursday. And the US state of Maryland confirmed its first three cases, in the Washington DC suburbs.

At a press briefing on Monday, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephan Hahn said close to a million tests would be ready by the end of this week.

But Vice-President Pence - who is co-ordinating the US response to the outbreak - conceded on Thursday that that target would not be met.

"We don't have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward," Mr Pence said during a visit to a factory in Minnesota.

Speaking in Washington state in the evening, Mr Pence said: "We still have a ways to go to ensure that tests are available."

But he said that by the end of next week the US government's diagnostic supplier would distribute kits across the country that would enable 1.2 million Americans to be tested for coronavirus.

prohibit US entry to foreign nationals who have visited China - the epicentre of the outbreak - and Iran during the previous 14 days.

But health experts fear the virus may be spreading undetected in US communities because of a lack of testing kits.

The president is expected to sign an $8.3bn (£6.4bn) funding bill passed 96-1 by the US Senate on Thursday. It is intended to help state and local governments combat the coronavirus.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51761435
 
Coronavirus: Government 'looking at' isolating whole households amid COVID-19 outbreak

The government is "looking at" the isolation of whole households during the coronavirus outbreak, its chief scientific adviser has told Sky News.

Sir Patrick Vallance said the "more extreme" action was being modelled by the government as it considers options to deal with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Latest figures show there have been 115 cases of COVID-19 in the UK, out of nearly 18,000 people tested.

One woman in her 70s with underlying health conditions has died after catching coronavirus.
Sir Patrick, who is helping to coordinate the UK's response to the virus as the government's chief scientific adviser, offered his "sincere condolences" to the woman's relatives and friends.
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He confirmed the government is preparing to move to the "delay" stage of its four-phase approach to coronavirus, which involves attempting to suppress the peak of a mass outbreak in the UK.

On Thursday night, the government updated travel advice for those who have returned from Italy within the last two weeks.
Those who have come back from the country and develop symptoms, however mild, should self-isolate and call the NHS on 111.

And those who have returned from specific lockdown areas in Italy should self-isolate and call 111 even if they don't have symptoms.

Sir Patrick described self-isolation as "really critical" and "a very key part of what can be done".
Describing what further action might be taken by the government, Sir Patrick told Sky News: "There are then more extreme versions when you think about households isolating as well.

"Self-isolation is possibly usually within houses, it means that you stay in your room, you get things delivered to it and stay there for 14 days.

"Household isolation would mean the household - that's obviously an more extreme move.

"Again, we're modelling that we're looking at that in terms of what the options might be."

But Sir Patrick stressed it is "important these measures aren't taken too early".

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...le-households-amid-covid-19-outbreak-11950691
 
A second person in the UK is feared to have died from coronavirus, Sky News understands.

The man was understood to be in his late 80s, had underlying health conditions and died at Milton Keynes Hospital.

Doctors are awaiting official test results to confirm if it was a case of COVID-19.

Forty-seven new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the UK over the past 24 hours, taking the total to 163.

On Thursday, a woman reported to be in her 70s became the first person in the UK to die after being diagnosed with coronavirus.

The Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading said the woman had been "in and out of hospital" for other reasons but was admitted on Wednesday evening and tested positive.

Meanwhile, two British Airways staff tested positive for coronavirus on Friday and are recovering at home in isolation.

"Public Health England (PHE) has confirmed that two members of our staff have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus," it said in a statement.

Also, Facebook is closing its London offices until Monday and telling staff to work from home after an employee was diagnosed with COVID-19.

The employee who was diagnosed with the virus was normally based in Singapore, the company told Sky News, but had visited the London offices between 24-26 February.

Globally, the number of coronavirus cases has passed 100,000, with 3,400 deaths, and the virus has spread across more than 90 nations.

In other developments:

Italy is the worst affected country in Europe, with more than 4,636 cases, a rise of 778 in a day, and a death toll of 197, an increase of 49
The Vatican, Cameroon, Peru, Serbia and Slovakia confirmed their first cases on Friday, and the Netherlands its first coronavirus death
South Korea has reported 505 new cases, taking its total to 6,593
South Korea is using drive-thru testing centres - inspired by the fast food counters used by McDonald's - to identify new cases
Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the government is not considering stopping flights into the UK
In the US, 57 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed. Some 230 people have been infected and there have been two more deaths in Washington State, taking the national death toll to 14
The US has admitted there are not enough coronavirus testing kits for Americans who want them
More than 2,000 people are stranded on the Grand Princess cruise ship after it was barred from returning to port in San Francisco because 35 on board developed flu-like symptoms
The head of UN's food agency has warned of the potential for "absolute devastation" as the outbreak's effects ripple through Africa and the Middle East
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has visited a Bedfordshire laboratory as the government pledged an extra £46m for research into a vaccine and rapid diagnostic tests.

The government is working with supermarkets to ensure food supplies as the number of people self-isolating with the virus continues to rise, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.

He sought to reassure the public following panic-buying in some areas, saying the government is "working to makes sure that if people are self isolating, they will be able to get the food and supplies that they need."

He added there was "absolutely no need" for individual people "to go round buying more than they need."

Health chiefs said people diagnosed with coronavirus who show only "very minimal" symptoms should self-isolate at home rather than in hospital.

Travellers returning to the UK from anywhere in Italy have also been advised to self-isolate if they develop symptoms.

Last week, a British tourist who had been on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was quarantined in Japan, became the first UK citizen to die from the virus.

Professor Chris Whitty said half of all coronavirus cases in the UK are most likely to occur in just a three-week period, with 95% of them over a nine-week period.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-second-person-in-uk-dies-from-infection-report-11950969
 
Forty-seven new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the UK over the last 24 hours, taking the total number to 163.

The figure as of Thursday afternoon was 116. Health officials said 20,338 people have now been tested in Britain, with 20,175 confirmed as being negative.

The increase in cases comes as a second person in the UK is feared to have died from coronavirus, Sky News understands.

The number of confirmed and suspected cases globally passed 100,000, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the outbreak. It says there have been more than 3,400 deaths.

The government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said ministers were considering "more extreme" action including the isolation of whole households during the coronavirus outbreak.

Sir Patrick, who is helping to coordinate the UK's response to the COVID-19 virus, told Sky News: "Self-isolation is possibly usually within houses, it means that you stay in your room, you get things delivered to it and stay there for 14 days.

"Household isolation would mean the household - that's obviously a more extreme move."

But he stressed it is "important these measures aren't taken too early".

Sir Patrick confirmed the government is preparing to move to the "delay" stage of its four-phase approach to tackling the disease, adding a UK outbreak would likely take 12 weeks to peak and maybe "another 12 weeks to go away again".

The four stages of UK's coronavirus response:

Contain the virus
Delay its transmission
Research its origins
Mitigate its impact

In its 27-page plan to deal with a major outbreak, the government said in a worst case scenario up to 80% of the population could become infected, with people hospitalised with pneumonia and a relatively high death rate among the elderly and frail.

However, Sir Patrick said he expected it "to be less than that". He described coronavirus as "very infectious" and "more dangerous than flu", but added it was a "million miles" from diseases such as ebola.

"For 98-99% of people, this is going to be a mild illness," he said.

"For a smaller number this can turn into a serious pneumonia. And for a smaller number again this can lead to death, particularly in the elderly and those who have got other co-existing medical problems," he added.

On Thursday, a woman in her 70s became the first person in the UK to die after testing positive for COVID-19, after the number of coronavirus cases rose to 116 out of nearly 18,000 people tested.

A church in Devon has been closed after a parishioner was diagnosed with coronavirus, while the Bhaktivedanta Manor Hare Krishna temple, near Watford, closed its doors after a member tested positive.

Also, Facebook is closing its London offices until Monday and telling staff to work from home after an employee was diagnosed with COVID-19.

The worker who was diagnosed with the virus was normally based in Singapore, the company told Sky News, but had visited the London offices between 24-26 February.

Hand-washing remains the central advice - but the government has also said it would consider closing schools, encourage working from home and the reduction of large-scale gatherings to slow the spread of the disease.

People should wash their hands for 20 seconds and use soap and water or hand sanitiser - and cough or sneeze into tissues.

In other developments:

Italy is the worst affected country in Europe, with more than 4,636 cases, a rise of 778 in a day, and a death toll of 197, an increase of 49
The Vatican, Cameroon, Peru, Serbia and Slovakia confirmed their first cases on Friday, and the Netherlands its first coronavirus death
South Korea has reported 505 new cases, taking its total to 6,593
South Korea is using drive-thru testing centres - inspired by the fast food counters used by McDonald's - to identify new cases
Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the government is not considering stopping flights into the UK
In the US, 57 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed. Some 230 people have been infected and there have been two more deaths in Washington State, taking the national death toll to 14
The US has admitted there are not enough coronavirus testing kits for Americans who want them
More than 2,000 people are stranded on the Grand Princess cruise ship after it was barred from returning to port in San Francisco because 35 on board developed flu-like symptoms
The head of UN's food agency has warned of the potential for "absolute devastation" as the outbreak's effects ripple through Africa and the Middle East

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-47-new-cases-confirmed-taking-uk-total-to-163-11950718
 
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is temporarily stopping entry into the Kingdom by land from the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain, as a precaution against the spread of the COVID-19) coronavirus, the Saudi Press Agency reported early Saturday.

Only commercial trucks coming from the three Gulf neighbors would be allowed, but they have to undergo health inspection, the report said, quoting an official source from the Ministry of Interior.

Arrivals from the three countries would be limited to three airports starting 11:55 p.m. Saturday, March 7, 2020, SPA said.

These airports are King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, the report added.

Precautionary measures are also to be undertaken by Ministry of Health workers at the three airports.

The report also said anyone who wishes to enter Saudi Arabia from any country where the risk of the spread of COVID-19 is high "must submit a laboratory test certificate proving that he or she is free of infection with the new coronavirus".

"This applies to those who resided in those countries during the (14) days prior to entering the Kingdom," the report said.

"The air carrier must ensure that the laboratory certificate is safe, and that it is recent and issued within the twenty-four hours prior to the passenger boarding," the report said.

Saudi Arabia’s health ministry had earlier said five cases of coronavirus in the Kingdom have been confirmed. One of the patients was a man who traveled from Iran via Kuwait, who passed the illness to his wife.

Another citizen who came from Iran via Bahrain has also been infected. He traveled in the same vehicle as the first and second cases of coronavirus that were announced in the Kingdom on Monday and Wednesday respectively.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday chided Iran for helping spread the outbreak around the world by allowing Saudi citizens into the country without stamping their passports during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

As a precautionary measure, the Kingdom has suspended the annual Umrah pilgrimage and efforts are being undertaken to disinfect the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, as well as all mosques in the Kingdom.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1637971/saudi-arabia
 
Pope to livestream Sunday prayer from inside Vatican

Francis will not appear in St Peter's Square, to avoid people gathering amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Vatican says.

His general audiences will also be streamed with no participants at papal morning Masses until 15 March.

The Pope has been suffering from a cold but it is not coronavirus.
 
Death toll has now surpassed 3,500.

USA has at least 300 infections and it is expected to rise.
 
About 70 people were trapped after a hotel being used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in the Chinese city of Quanzhou collapsed.

About 35 of the 70 have been pulled from the rubble of the five-storey Xinjia Hotel, officials say.

Videos posted online show emergency workers combing through the building's wreckage in the southern province of Fujian.

It is not clear what caused the collapse or if anyone has died.

It happened at about 19:30 local time (11:30 GMT).

Chinese state media says the hotel was being used as a quarantine facility monitoring people who had had close contact with coronavirus patients.

One woman told the Beijing News website that relatives including her sister had been under quarantine there.

"I can't contact them, they're not answering their phones," she said.

"I'm under quarantine too [at another hotel] and I'm very worried, I don't know what to do. They were healthy, they took their temperatures every day, and the tests showed that everything was normal."

As of Friday, Fujian province had 296 cases of coronavirus. Meanwhile 10,819 people have been placed under observation because they have been in close contact with someone infected.

The World Health Organization says more than 101,000 people worldwide have now contracted the virus.

More than 3,000 people have died - the majority in the Chinese province of Hubei where the outbreak originated.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51784167
 
Italy's prime minister has said at least 16 million people are now under lock-down in Lombardy region and also in 14 provinces until early April.

The dramatic escalation in the country's efforts to contain the new coronavirus will close gyms, pools, museums and ski resorts.

Weddings and funerals are also suspended under the new measures.

Italy is Europe's worst-hit country and reported a steep rise in virus infections on Saturday.

The new measures, which also apply to financial centre Milan and tourist hotspot Venice will last until 3 April.

The death toll in Italy has passed 230, with officials reporting more than 50 deaths in 24 hours. The number of confirmed cases jumped by more than 1,200 to 5,883 on Saturday.

"We want to guarantee the health of our citizens. We understand that these measures will impose sacrifices, sometimes small and sometimes very big," Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said early on Sunday.

"But this is a time where we must take responsibility for ourselves."

People are unable to enter or leave the whole northern region of Lombardy, home to 10 million people, except for emergency access. Milan is the main city in the region.

The same measures apply to 14 provinces including Venice, Parma and Modena, affecting a total of around 16 million people.

Prime Minister Conte said the provinces affected were Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano Cusio Ossola, Vercelli, Padua, Treviso and Venice.

Until now only around 50,000 people in northern Italy had been affected by quarantine measures.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51787238
 
Coronavirus: Northern Italy quarantines 16 million people

Italy has placed up to 16 million people under quarantine as it battles to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Anyone living in Lombardy and 14 other central and northern provinces will need special permission to travel. Milan and Venice are both affected.

Schools, gyms, pools, and ski resorts will be closed and all events in "public and private spaces" suspended, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said.

The drastic measures will last until 3 April.

Last week the government announced the closure of all schools and universities across the country for 10 days.

Italy has seen the largest number of coronavirus cases in Europe and reported a steep rise in infections on Saturday.

The death toll in Italy has passed 230, with officials reporting more than 36 deaths in 24 hours. The number of confirmed cases jumped by more than 1,200 to 5,883 on Saturday.

"We want to guarantee the health of our citizens. We understand that these measures will impose sacrifices, sometimes small and sometimes very big," Mr Conte said early on Sunday.

"But this is a time where we must take responsibility for ourselves."
Under the new measures, people will be unable to enter or leave the whole northern region of Lombardy, home to 10 million people, except for emergency access. Milan is the main city in the region.

Mr Conte said the 14 provinces affected were Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano Cusio Ossola, Vercelli, Padua, Treviso and Venice.

Until now only around 50,000 people in northern Italy had been affected by quarantine measures.

What are the details?

Weddings and funerals have been suspended, as well as religious and cultural events. Cinemas, night clubs, gyms, swimming pools, museums and ski resorts have been closed.

Restaurants and cafes can open between 06:00 and 18:00 but customers must sit at least 1m (3ft) apart.

People have been told to stay at home as much as possible, and those who break the quarantine could face three months in jail.

Sports competitions will close to the public, and the president of Italy's football players' union has called for all matches to be postponed.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised Italy to focus on virus containment measures as infections spread in the country.

The plans echo China's forced quarantine of millions of people which the WHO has praised for halting the spread of the virus.

Leading Italian politician Nicola Zingaretti said on Saturday he had tested positive for the virus.

"I am fine but I will have to stay home for the next few days," the leader of Italy's centre-left Democratic Party (PD) said in a Facebook post.

The country has said it will start recruiting retired doctors in an effort to combat the escalating outbreak.

What is the situation elsewhere?

Iran - another coronavirus hotspot - has confirmed almost 6,000 infections and 145 deaths.

A second MP was reportedly among those to have died in Iran, where health officials fear the number of cases is being understated.

The number of infections worldwide has passed 100,000, officials say, with nearly 3,500 deaths. Most of the fatalities have been in China, where the virus originated in December.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has called the spread of the virus "deeply concerning" and urged all countries to make containment "their highest priority".
In other developments:

A hotel used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in the Chinese city of Quanzhou collapsed - 47 of 70 trapped people have been rescued so far
Pope Francis is to deliver Sunday's Angelus Prayer by livestream to avoid the usual crowds forming

The Women's World Ice Hockey Championships in Canada have been cancelled
In Saudi Arabia, access to the sacred Kaaba in Islam's holiest site Mecca remains blocked

On Sunday South Korean officials said 367 new cases were reported in the past day, bringing the total cases in the country to 7,134.

China reported its lowest number of new infections in a single day since January.

There were 27 new deaths there from the virus, which were all in Wuhan where the outbreak began.

In the US, a cruise ship with 3,533 passengers and crew is being held off the coast near San Francisco after 21 people tested positive for the disease.

Washington state reported two more fatalities, bringing the US death toll to 19.

In New York, cases jumped from 44 on Friday to 76 and Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency.

South America recorded its first coronavirus death, as a 64-year-old man died in Argentina.

In Australia, a man in his 80s became the third person to die there from the virus.

Among other countries to report a rise in the total number of cases are: France (to 949); Germany (795); Spain (441); the UK (206); the Netherlands (188).

Colombia, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Malta, the Maldives and Paraguay reported their first cases.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51787238
 
Looks like Bangladesh got the first taste of Coronavirus.

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh on Sunday confirmed its first three cases of coronavirus in the south Asian country, said the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).

The affected people, aged between 20 and 35, include two who returned home from Italy recently, IEDCR Director Meerjady Sabrina told reporters.

The other was a family member of one of those two, she said.

"There are in stable condition and are being treated in a hospital," Sabrina said.

Three more people who came in contact with the infected people have been kept in quarantine as a precaution, she added.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said earlier on Sunday her government was prepared to tackle the virus, urging people not to panic.

"Coronavirus has become a global problem. We are monitoring the situation round the clock and taking necessary steps," she said at an event in the capital, Dhaka.

The government on Sunday urged Bangladeshi citizens returning from six countries - China, Italy, South Korea, Singapore, Iran and Thailand - to quarantine themselves in their homes for 14 days.

Authorities in Bangladesh say they have strengthened the screening of travelers and more than 400,000 people have been screened at airports and other border entry points.

Experts have warned it may be hard to contain a spread of the illness in densely populated South Asia with its generally poor medical infrastructure.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/a...t-three-cases-of-coronavirus-health-officials.
 
Last edited:
Boris Johnson is expected to tell an emergency Cobra meeting on coronavirus that tackling the outbreak requires a "national and international effort", following the UK's third death linked to the illness.

A man in his 60s died at North Manchester General Hospital after testing positive for COVID-19, Public Health England confirmed on Sunday evening.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the UK now sits at 278, a rise of 72 since Saturday. This is the biggest jump in cases in a 24-hour period.

The patient in his 60s was being treated at North Manchester General Hospital when he died
Monday's Cobra meeting will assess whether the UK should officially move from the "contain" to the "delay" phase of the government's plan to deal with coronavirus.

Such a step would require agreement from England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, who are due to be at the high-level discussions.

The prime minister is expected to tell the meeting that he is "confident the British people are ready to play their part" in the "national and international effort".

The third person to die in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus had "significant underlying health conditions", according to Mr Whitty.

Coronavirus quarantine: What happens now?
In a brief statement, Mr Whitty said: "I am very sorry to report that a third patient in England who tested positive for COVID-19 has sadly died.

"I offer my sincere condolences to their family and friends and ask that their privacy is respected.

"The patient, who was being treated at the North Manchester General Hospital, was over 60 years old and had significant underlying health conditions."

Mr Whitty added that contact tracing was already under way.

Venice is among the areas in lockdown

COVID-19 cases leap in Italy to 366 from 233
Most recent coronavirus developments in the UK:

Three deaths in patients who tested positive with the virus
Victims were in Berkshire, Milton Keynes and Manchester
Sunday saw a rise of 72 cases to reach a total of 278 - the highest increase in cases in a 24-hour period
Supermarkets have placed restrictions on items including pasta, anti-bacterial wipes and hand soap in a bid to prevent shoppers from stockpiling
Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to northern Italy
People returning from affected areas in Italy told to self-isolate regardless of whether they have symptoms
The virus-stricken Grand Princess cruise ship with more than 140 Britons on board is due to dock in Oakland, California on Monday

:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

The announcement came just days after the first two deaths were reported in the UK in patients who had tested positive for the illness.

Both had underlying health conditions and died in hospital on Thursday.

The first, a woman in 70s, lost her life in hospital in Reading, Berkshire, while the second, an 83-year-old man, died while being treated at Milton Keynes University Hospital.

In a statement on Saturday night, the family of the second victim paid tribute to a "truly loving and wonderful" husband, dad, granddad and great-granddad.

They also confirmed they could not yet begin making funeral arrangements for their relative as they had also been placed into isolation as a precaution.

Sky’s Thomas Moore explains how countries around the world are preparing to contain COVID-19

How to contain a global pandemic
The vast majority of COVID-19 cases are in England. London has at least 51 cases, the South East 41 and the South West 35. The region with the smallest number is the North East and Yorkshire with at least 18.

British tourists were warned to avoid all but essential travel to a swathe of northern Italy where around 16 million people have been placed under lockdown as its COVID-19 linked death toll rose to 366.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has advised against all but essential travel to virus-stricken areas of northern Italy, but said British nationals are still able to leave Italy without restriction.

The Department for Health and Social Care has said those returning from the affected areas should self-isolate for 14 days at home, even if they have no symptoms.

Budget airline easyJet said it was cancelling some flights to Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Venice and Verona airports, with further flight reductions expected to come.

Meanwhile, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will host a meeting with governing bodies and broadcasters on Monday to discuss how to handle the COVID-19 outbreak's potential impact on the sporting calendar.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has said expert teams have been brought together to tackle the potential spread of "misinformation and digital interference" around coronavirus.

And the FCO has said it is "working intensively" with US authorities on arranging a flight for British nationals on the coronavirus-hit Grand Princess cruise ship due to arrive in Oakland, California, on Monday.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...eeting-after-third-person-dies-in-uk-11953448
 
Saudi Arabia suspends all schools until further notice amid coronavirus concerns

Saudi Arabia is suspending all schools, universities and educational institutions in the Kingdom starting on Monday until further notice as part of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, according to a report by the Saudi Press Agency.

“The decision to suspend all educational study comes as a continuation of the wise leadership's interest in its children, its concern for their safety, and the provision of appropriate alternatives for continuing distance learning,” SPA reported citing an education ministry statement.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Education also directed the activation of “virtual schools” and distance learning during the suspension period.

Speaking to Al Arabiya, Saudi Arabian Minister for Education Dr. Hamad bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh the suspension will includes students, teachers, and administrators.

“They will not be called in to perform any tasks. This order applies to all public schools. As per universities, the decision to call up administrators or faculty will be left to university directors as they will need to continue online courses and see what fits their curriculums,” Al Al-Sheikh told Al Arabiya.

The decision to suspend school came on the same day the Kingdom imposed a temporary lockdown on the eastern Qatif province to prevent the spread of coronavirus after 11 people there were infected.

Authorities in Saudi Arabia also said that the suspension will include educational and Quranic activities at mosques.

Early on Monday, the announced the closure of the Riyadh boulevard and winter wonderland due to concerns about the new coronavirus, acording to state TV.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/New...hools-universities-until-further-notice.html#
 
Coronavirus crisis could cost world up to $2 trillion: UN

UN economists warned Monday that the raging outbreak of the deadly new coronavirus could cost the global economy between $1 trillion and $2 trillion this year and called on governments to ramp up spending to mitigate its impact, AFP reported.

A report from the UN Conference on Trade, Investment and Development (UNCTAD) concluded that the COVID-19 epidemic will push some countries into recession and will significantly slow growth in the world economy as a whole.

https://www.dawn.com/live-blog/
 
Coronavirus: All sport in Italy to be suspended because of outbreak

All sport at all levels in Italy is to be suspended until 3 April at the earliest, the country's Olympic committee has announced.

This includes all football matches in Serie A but does not cover Italian clubs or national teams participating in international competitions.

Serie A - Italy's top flight - had already said all games would be played behind closed doors until 3 April.

"This situation has no precedent in history," a CONI statement said.

The Italian government is now required to issue a specific prime ministerial decree to confirm the decision, the CONI added.

The CONI hosted a special meeting of sporting federations on Monday.

Italy has been the European country worst hit by the coronavirus so far, with over 7,000 confirmed cases and 300 deaths.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/51808683
 
Normally when people feel sick they stay at home, lay in bed, watch a movie, drink some soup. However, apparently as soon as someone gets corona they have this sudden urge to go to a concert, see a sporting event, travel the world, hug everyone they see.
 
I might just quarantine myself as a precaution like a bear in hibernation.

Does anyone know if Ultraviolet germ busting lamps work well? Im inclined to get one.
 
Today for the first time, I personally saw the ramifications of the coronavirus when I visited the supermarket. All the bog roll shelves were empty and all cheap pain killers out of stock as people resort to panic buying.
 
Kroll said:
Today for the first time, I personally saw the ramifications of the coronavirus when I visited the supermarket. All the bog roll shelves were empty and all cheap pain killers out of stock as people resort to panic buying.
Click to expand...

Why bog roll?
 
KingKhanWC said:
I might just quarantine myself as a precaution like a bear in hibernation.

Does anyone know if Ultraviolet germ busting lamps work well? Im inclined to get one.
Click to expand...

Save your money and wash your hands every few hours for 20 seconds. I've lost count of people asking to buy hand sanitisers at work when simple hygiene measures will suffice.

Even if somebody contracts the virus, it's a mild respiratory illness. The people at highest risk are those with underlying conditions.
 
All the major supermarkets around where I live have sold out on toilet rolls, hand cleanser and now selling out quickly on canned foods...
 
Markhor said:
Save your money and wash your hands every few hours for 20 seconds. I've lost count of people asking to buy hand sanitisers at work when simple hygiene measures will suffice.

Even if somebody contracts the virus, it's a mild respiratory illness. The people at highest risk are those with underlying conditions.
Click to expand...

Mate I’m on immune suppressants
 
IMMY69 said:
Mate I’m on immune suppressants
Click to expand...

There's no need to panic. Stick to basic hygiene measures. Use disinfectant cleaners on telephones, keyboards, door handles, desks and tables. If you're to use a hand sanitiser - make sure it has an alcohol content of above 60%.
 
Markhor said:
There's no need to panic. Stick to basic hygiene measures. Use disinfectant cleaners on telephones, keyboards, door handles, desks and tables. If you're to use a hand sanitiser - make sure it has an alcohol content of above 60%.
Click to expand...

Yes I’m trying to do all these things...

We keep our fingers crossed that this passes without too many fatalities
 
Kroll said:
I guess people are stockpiling in fear of having to self-isolate.
Click to expand...


Lota sales might go up too. :)

Markhor said:
Save your money and wash your hands every few hours for 20 seconds. I've lost count of people asking to buy hand sanitisers at work when simple hygiene measures will suffice.

Even if somebody contracts the virus, it's a mild respiratory illness. The people at highest risk are those with underlying conditions.
Click to expand...

Thanks bro, it's more for when you go to your desk at work, meeting room etc. If I wash my hands but then touch a table will I be at risk? How long do the germs survive on a surface, box, handle etc?
 
People who show "even minor" signs of respiratory tract infections or a fever will soon be told to self-isolate in an effort to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

The UK government's chief medical adviser said the change in advice could happen within the next 10 to 14 days.

Five people have now died from coronavirus in the UK.

London mayoral candidate Rory Stewart called the government's measures "half-hearted".

There were 319 confirmed cases as of 09:00 GMT on Monday, a rise of 46 since the same time on Sunday.

People will be asked to self-isolate for seven days after showing mild symptoms under the new approach, the UK government's chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty said.
Click to expand...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51807781

Boris the clown should already be implementing this.

Thing are about to go serious in the next few weeks imo.

Italy have banned all public gatherings in the last few mins.

Imo this is about causing a global economic collapse , the wheels are in motion now.
 
BREAKING: All Italy is locked down, PM Conte has just announced. Everyone must remain at home. Nationwide lockdown. #COVID19
 
Italy extends coronavirus measures nationwide

Italy is extending its strict coronavirus quarantine measures, which include a ban on public gatherings, to the entire country.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the measures, which come into effect on Tuesday, were necessary to defend the most fragile members of the community.

He added that the best thing for the citizens of Italy was to stay at home.

Italy's coronavirus death toll jumped on Monday by 97 to 463. It is the worst-hit country after China.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-eu...Breaking&at_custom2=twitter&at_medium=custom7
 
Countries took this virus seriously a bit too late. This should've been taken seriously during early days. It is a bit too late now. Damage has already been done. Many old people will likely die from this.

I think I am going to stockpile on these things - hand sanitizer, Tylenol for flu, orange juices, tissue papers, N95 masks, and hand soaps.

I hope people will stop eating raw "exotic" foods. This is a lesson for all those people who like to get adventurous with what they eat.
 
KingKhanWC said:
Lota sales might go up too. :)



Thanks bro, it's more for when you go to your desk at work, meeting room etc. If I wash my hands but then touch a table will I be at risk? How long do the germs survive on a surface, box, handle etc?
Click to expand...

It depends on the surface but the coronavirus could last for a few hours to a couple of days. You'd be at risk if you touched the surface and then touched your face withour washing your hands. But disinfectant with high ethanol content will minimise the risk.

Probably avoid shaking hands/hugging at Juma, or go to too many mass gatherings especially with people who've recently travelled abroad to any of the most affected countries.
 
Markhor said:
It depends on the surface but the coronavirus could last for a few hours to a couple of days. You'd be at risk if you touched the surface and then touched your face withour washing your hands. But disinfectant with high ethanol content will minimise the risk.

Probably avoid shaking hands/hugging at Juma, or go to too many mass gatherings especially with people who've recently travelled abroad to any of the most affected countries.
Click to expand...

Appreciate it.

How is the world acting to end this? Seems like everyone inc WHO are clueless atm?
 
Five senior US Republicans have quarantined themselves after coming into contact with a person who tested positive for coronavirus.

The members of Congress, who include Texas Senator Ted Cruz, self-isolated after they shook hands with an infected individual at a conference.

President Donald Trump, who was also at the event last month, insists he is in good health and has not taken a test.

One Democrat has also self-isolated after she met someone with the virus.

There are more than 700 confirmed cases in the US and 26 people have died so far.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-c...at-apps.in-app-msg.whatsapp.trial.link1_.auin
 
Latest figures indicate there are now 100 confirmed coronavirus cases across Africa. The breakdown are as follows:

Egypt - 55

Algeria - 20

South Africa - 7

Tunisia - 5

Senegal - 4

Morocco - 2

Cameroon - 2

Burkina Faso - 2

Nigeria - 2

Togo - 1
 
Something doesn’t seem right...

All we hear are the number of new cases and the deaths.
What about how many have recovered?
 
KingKhanWC said:
Appreciate it.

How is the world acting to end this? Seems like everyone inc WHO are clueless atm?
Click to expand...

It’s all about money. The reason a pandemic isn’t declared is because the WHO is then Responsible for global strategy etc and crucially they foot the bill.

Italy is in the situation it is in because of, well there is no way of really buttering this, Italian ineptitude. There was zero testing inside it’s borders until this took hold, and a lack of communication by the authorities to provide guidance to the public. By the time they finally responded, it had a foothold.

This virus exposes our lack of responsibility (hygiene, self isolation etc) and chronic under funding of the health sector.
 
Every country is hiding real numbers.
[MENTION=141306]sweep_shot[/MENTION] Are Paracetamol and Tylenol for flu the same thing?

As time passes, most of us will get infected, fight and overcome this virus. Insha'Allah.

The way this virus is spreading, there was never a way to halt, unless you go all Wuhan the way Chinese gov. did. Not everyone has resources, authorities and capacity to quarantine like China.

Thanks to all PPer doctors for their input regarding precautions etc.
 
I hate China. I already hate them for the way they treat Muslims, now i hate them ever more. Chinese are the reason why the whole world is suffering and so many innocents have lost their lives.
 
The latest figures from Italy show 631 deaths and 10,149 cases
Travel is restricted across Italy and public gatherings are forbidden
Iran reports 54 deaths, its highest figure yet over a 24-hour period
Shares in Europe lose ground after initially recovering from Monday's sharp fall
A sixth person dies in the UK after testing positive for the virus
There have now been 373 confirmed cases in the UK
Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Wuhan for the first time since the outbreak began
Lebanon records first coronavirus death
 
WhenSultansBowled said:
Every country is hiding real numbers.
[MENTION=141306]sweep_shot[/MENTION] Are Paracetamol and Tylenol for flu the same thing?

As time passes, most of us will get infected, fight and overcome this virus. Insha'Allah.

The way this virus is spreading, there was never a way to halt, unless you go all Wuhan the way Chinese gov. did. Not everyone has resources, authorities and capacity to quarantine like China.

Thanks to all PPer doctors for their input regarding precautions etc.
Click to expand...

Tylenol and Paracetamol are both same thing with different names. Both are acetaminophen.
 
The coronavirus could hit 35 to 70 per cent of the Canadian population, making “a huge number of people ill,” many critically, and makeshift hospitals and quarantine centres could be needed to shore up a health system that has virtually no give, experts predict.

According to a disease-transmission model developed by University of Toronto researchers, the virus’ overall attack rate in Canada, without public health interventions, could exceed 70 per cent. That number drops sharply, by about half, “if we add modest control,” said epidemiologist Dr. David Fisman, one of the model’s creators, but it will take “aggressive social distancing and large scale quarantines” to reduce it further, he said.
“That’s still a huge number of people ill, and critically ill people are a large fraction in this disease,” Fisman said in an email. “I’m not going to share more specific numbers because I think they will scare people to no particular end.”

The first confirmed death in Canada from COVID-19 brings home the reality that while most people infected with the rogue virus ultimately fully recover, the infection can be fatal.

A man in his 80s with underlying health problems, a resident of a North Vancouver nursing home, died Sunday night.

As of Monday, there were 78 known confirmed and presumed cases of the virus in Canada, including six cases linked to an earlier leg of a voyage of the Grand Princess cruise ship, the same ship that had been floating off the coast of California for days before it docked in an Oakland port Monday. At least 21 people aboard, including 19 crew, have tested positive for the virus. Ottawa was preparing Monday to fly the 237 Canadians aboard the ship to Canadian Forces Base Trenton, where they will be assessed and undergo a 14-day quarantine. Any infected Canadians won’t be allowed to board the plane and instead will be referred for treatment in the U.S. Canada’s chief public health officer is now recommending Canadians avoid all cruise ship travel.

The second repatriation of Canadians aboard a virus-infected ocean liner comes amid growing concerns about the country’s readiness for an escalating public health threat. “We have scenarios where there are more people requiring ICU beds than there are acute care beds (all hospital beds) in Ontario at peak,” said Fisman, a professor in the division of epidemiology at the ***** Lana School of Public Health. “We see in Italy that G7 countries can have total collapse of health systems under the strain of this, even early in the epidemic.”

Doctors in Alberta have complained of a “lack of forward thinking” and poor communication about emergency planning. B.C. nurses have warned they’re already working short, and there are concerns about dwindling supplies of face masks, eye shields and other protective equipment. Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu Monday acknowledged that Ottawa is “very alive to the fact that some provinces are indicating they have deficits.

“We are gathering that information and we have said all along that we will be there as the federal government to support them with the resources they need, whether those are financial resources or practical resources.”

It will be a tall order. Hospitals are already running beyond capacity. “You’re working at 120 per cent capacity and now you have this on top of your normal work,” said Paul-Émile Cloutier, president and chief executive officer of HealthCareCan, which represents hospitals and other medical facilities across the country.

On the ground, there are concerns around supplies of gowns, gloves, masks, oxygen, drugs, ventilators, and laboratory capacity for virus testing.

“We need to scale up the testing of these viruses,” Cloutier said. “It’s taking far too long in some centres to get the results.”

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are asking premiers to identify their “state of readiness” and any critical gaps in supplies or capacity ahead of Friday’s first ministers meeting in Ottawa. In a letter to the premiers, Freeland said the government is leading a bulk procurement of personal protective equipment.

Still, front-liners are worried, Cloutier said. “They’re worried because they’ve only seen the beginning and they think that if there is a pandemic it’s going to be extraordinarily difficult to manage the capacity of the needs of our patients coming through the system.”

Fisman’s team has experience dealing with SARS, H1N1 and Ebola and recently reported that the outbreak in Iran was far larger than originally reported. Among other data, their model estimates basic reproduction numbers — how many other people one infected person is likely to infect — as well as the number of mild and asymptomatic cases that are flying under the radar, believed vastly higher than reported case counts.

“China’s epidemic was controlled through massive quarantine, enforced via threats of death penalty, and with lockdown of 750,000 people at peak,” Fisman said.

In Canada, modest public health control efforts would mean finding and isolating around 50 per cent of mild cases through testing, but no social distancing or quarantine.

More aggressive measures would be the kind of countrywide lockdowns now occurring in Italy, which have left streets in the capital Rome and other cities deserted, as well as school closures and banning of mass gatherings and sporting events.

A new study finds that older people, as well as people with sepsis or underlying clotting problems, are most likely to die from the virus. Published in The Lancet, the study, based on 191 patients from two hospitals in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, also found that people shed the virus for longer than expected, an average of 20 days in survivors, and as many as 37 days. Prolonged shedding suggests people may still be capable of spreading the pathogen.

“The extended viral shedding noted in our study has important implications for guiding decisions around isolation precautions and antiviral treatment in patients with confirmed COVID-19,” the Chinese researchers reported.

In hospitals, rooms, wards and potentially entire floors will need to be set aside because the infected can’t be kept in ordinary rooms like any other patient, Cloutier said. “I’m not saying you need to build new hospitals,” he said. In China, where the virus has infected more than 80,000, a 1,000-bed hospital was panic built in just 10 days.

But if the virus spreads widely in Canada, “what are you going to do with those patients that are already in hospital,” Cloutier said. “Are you going to ask them to leave? What happens if it’s a patient (who needs) home care, and there’s no capacity there?”

With virtually zero spare bed capacity, Fisman, of the U of Toronto, said planners should prepare now for makeshift hospitals. There should be designated hospitals for coronavirus patients and registries of healthcare workers who have had the virus and recovered who can now work safely with patients.

Studies suggest 80 per cent of cases in China are mild. Those who die take 25 days to die on a ventilator. Those who survive are off ventilators after two weeks, but then spend another two weeks hospitalized.
Click to expand...

Source: https://nationalpost.com/news/canad...0-per-cent-of-canadian-population-experts-say.

35% of Canadians may end up getting this virus. Damn!
 
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