Dominance of new virus cases outside China stimulates fears of a pandemic
• Cabinet members among victims of surge in Iran
Governments ramped up measures on Thursday to battle a looming global pandemic of the coronavirus as the number of new infections outside China, the source of the outbreak, for the first time surpassed those appearing inside the country.
Australia initiated emergency measures and Taiwan raised its epidemic response level to its highest, a day after US President Donald Trump put his vicepresident, Mike Pence, in charge of the US response to the looming global health crisis.
The US and South Korea postponed joint military drills to limit the spread of the virus, which has emerged far beyond China, where it originated late in 2019, apparently in a market selling wildlife in the city of Wuhan.
HIGHEST NUMBER
Iran said on Thursday its death toll from the latest coronavirus has risen to 26, the highest number of fatalities from the virus outside China, and the total number of infected people stood at 245, including several senior officials.
The outbreak prompted authorities to call off Friday prayers in several cities including Tehran, state TV later reported, while state news agency Irna said Iran has banned Chinese citizens from entering the country.
Those infected include Masoumeh Ebtekar, the vicepresident for women and family affairs, and the country’s deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi. Ebtekar’s case is said to be mild and she has not been admitted to hospital.
“In the last 24 hours, we have had 106 [new] confirmed cases. The death toll has reached 26,” health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV, calling on Iranians to avoid “unnecessary trips inside the country”.
Jahanpur said there were plans to impose some restrictions at Shi’ite Muslim holy sites and cancel some sermons on Friday, the Islamic Republic’s traditional day of public prayer. But it needs the approval of the president before being carried out, he said.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his country, which has 23 cases of the virus, was operating on the basis of a pandemic and hospitals were under orders to ensure enough medical supplies, personal protective equipment and staff.
“There is every indication that the world will soon enter a pandemic phase of the coronavirus,” Morrison said. “As a result we have agreed today and initiated the ... coronavirus emergency response plan.”
STOCKS FALL
Stocks sank deeper into the red, oil prices fell and US treasuries rallied into record territory as more signs of the global spread of the virus heightened fears of a pandemic.
Global markets have dropped for six straight days, wiping out more than $3.6-trillion in value.
The coronavirus has infected more than 82,000 people and killed 2,800, the majority in China. Much remains unknown about the virus but it is clear that the ramifications of the world’s second-biggest economy being in lockdown for a month or more are vast.
The rapid spread of the virus in different places — notably Italy, Iran and South Korea — in recent days has met the definition for a pandemic and raised alarm. There have been 3,246 cases outside China, including 51 deaths, according to a tally by Reuters.
Denmark confirmed its first case, in a man who returned from a ski holiday in while Estonia found its a man returning from media reported.
Brazil confirmed Latin America’s first infection on Wednesday, while several other countries, including Pakistan, Romania and Algeria, also reported their first cases.
Italy, first, Iran,
China reported 433 new cases on Thursday, compared with 406 a day earlier.
South Korea reported another 334 new coronavirus cases, pushing its total to 1,595, the most in any country other than China.
The US state department issued a new travel warning for
South Korea after the US military reported its first case of the coronavirus on Wednesday, in a 23-year-old soldier based near the southern city of Daegu.
The South Korean military has also reported a number of infections and confined most troops to base.
A “command post training”, usually conducted by members of the two militaries’ Combined Forces Command, will be postponed until further notice, the command said.
The outbreak has played havoc with international aviation, with airlines cancelling flights as countries ban visitors from hotspots and nervous passengers put off travel plans.
News that a Korean Air flight attendant who worked on flights between Seoul and Los Angeles later tested positive is likely to unnerve passengers further.
US health authorities reported the first possible case of community transmission in the US involving someone who had no relevant travel history or exposure to another known patient. The US is managing 59 cases — most of them Americans who have been repatriated from a cruise ship in Japan.
DIAMOND PRINCESS
The number of confirmed cases of the virus on the British-registered Diamond Princess approached 700 with four deaths since the ship docked at a Japanese port on February 3.
Trump, seeking to calm US stock markets, said the risk from the virus was “very low” in the US, and it was “very, very ready” to face the threat.
Chinese authorities said the number of new deaths stood at 29 on Thursday, the lowest daily tally since January 28. The virus that can lead to pneumonia has now killed a total of 2,744 people in China, most in the central province of Hubei.
Italy reported another 100 cases nationwide, taking the total in Europe’s biggest hotspot to more than 400, while its death toll rose to 12.
THERE IS EVERY INDICATION THAT THE WORLD WILL SOON ENTER A PANDEMIC PHASE OF THE CORONAVIRUS
Coronavirus blamed for 10% earnings plunge at AB InBev: Page 14