Coronavirus wrap: India reports second patient; China death toll over 300

The novel virus has sent ripples of fear across the world, especially in Asia. The death toll has now risen to 259 in China. Catch LIVE updates on Coronavirus outbreak

9:12 PM

Maldives thanks India for evacuating its seven citizens from coronavirus-hit Wuhan

Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Sunday thanked India for expeditiously evacuating seven Maldivians from Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, saying it was an example of the "outstanding" friendship and camaraderie between the two countries.

 

India has evacuated 647 Indians and seven Maldivian citizens by special flights from Wuhan city. Air India's jumbo B747 made two flights to Wuhan - the ground zero of the coronavirus epidemic. In the first flight on Saturday, 324 Indians were evacuated and on Sunday another 323 Indians and seven Maldivian citizens were flown back.

9:10 PM

Govt issues fresh advisory, says anyone with travel history of China since Jan 15 can be quarantined

The government on Sunday issued a new travel advisory asking people to refrain from travelling to China in view of coronavirus outbreak in its Hubei province and said travellers on return from the neighbouring country could be quarantined.

 

In its advisory, the Health Ministry also said anyone with travel history of China since January 15 could be quarantined.

 

The decision of issuing a new travel advisory was taken at a high-level review meeting held by the Cabinet Secretary on the preparedness to deal with novel coronavirus which has now spread to 25 countries.

7:40 PM

Situation in China's virus-hit Hubei province "severe and complicated", says vice governor

The situation in Hubei province, the centre of China's virus outbreak, remains "severe and complicated" and medical resources at county level are relatively weak, vice governor Xiao Juhua told a news conference on Sunday.

 

Wang Wei, director of Hubei's science and technology department, told the briefing that the time needed to confirm cases with test kits had halved to no more than two hours, and that the kits' accuracy had improved.

7:38 PM

Pakistan acquires testing kits from China for coronavirus diagnosis

Pakistan said on Sunday that it had acquired nearly 1,000 coronavirus testing kits from its all-weather ally China to boost the country's capability of diagnosing the disease which has claimed over 300 lives.

 

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza took to Twitter to share the development in the wake of concerns that Pakistan lacked capacity to test the deadly virus.

6:42 PM

Coronavirus: One patient tests negative in Haryana, report of four others awaited

Of the five patients suspected to have symptoms of coronavirus in Haryana in recent days, one test result has come out as negative, a senior health department official said here on Sunday.

 

Out of these five, one patient has been admitted in the isolation ward at Kalpana  Chawla Government Medical College in Karnal.

 

 

6:34 PM

Cocktail of flu, HIV drugs appears to help fight coronavirus: Thai doctors

Thai doctors have seen success in treating severe cases of the new coronavirus with combination of medications for flu and HIV, with initial results showing vast improvement 48 hours after applying the treatment, they said on Sunday.

 

The doctors from Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok said a new approach in coronavirus treatment had improved the condition of several patients under their care, including one 70-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan who tested positive for the coronavirus for 10 days.

6:24 PM

Chinese FM shifts media briefings online as Coronavirus death toll crosses 300

As the coronavirus outbreak turns virulent in China with the death toll crossing over 300, the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Sunday announced that it will hold its daily media briefings online.

 

The Chinese Foreign Ministry holds the media briefings all weekdays. The briefings remain suspended since January 24 due to Chinese New Year/Spring festival holidays and are due to resume on Monday.

5:23 PM

Indonesia bars entry to visitors from China amid evacuation protest

Indonesia on Sunday barred entry to visitors who have been in China for 14 days over concern about coronavirus, as citizens evacuated from Hubei province faced protests by some residents on their return home.

 

There have not been any confirmed cases of coronavirus in Indonesia, but neighbouring Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from the virus outside China.

5:22 PM

China intensifies efforts to combat coronavirus as death toll rises to 305

Beijing/Wuhan, Feb 2 (PTI) China on Sunday resorted to more drastic measures like isolating coronavirus patients to designated areas and restricting the movement of residents in regions hit by the rapid spreading virus that has killed 305 people and infected over 14,000 others.

 

The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death outside China from the deadly virus that has spread to 25 countries, including India, taking the total toll to 305.

4:25 PM

Coronavirus kills Chinese man in Philippines, first death outside China

The Philippines on Sunday said that a 44-year-old Chinese man had died of the new coronavirus, the first fatality outside of China, prompting tighter travel restrictions for both Filipinos and foreigners. The man, who was admitted to a government hospital in Manila on Jan. 25, had developed severe pneumonia, the department said, according to Reuters.

3:06 PM

India suspends e-visa for China travellers

India on Sunday suspended e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners residing in China in view of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 300 

people, infected 14,562 others and spread to 25 at least countries. The decision “applies to holders of Chinese passports and applicants of other nationalities residing in the People's Republic of China. Holders of already issued e-visas may note that these are no longer valid," said the Indian Embassy, according to news agency PTI.

1:47 PM

China's central bank says will ensure liquidity

China's central bank says it will inject 1.2 trillion yuan ($173.8 billion) worth of liquidity into the markets via reverse repo operations on Monday, as the country battles a new coronavirus outbreak. The People's Bank of China also said that the total liquidity in the banking system will be 900 billion yuan higher than the same period in 2019, reported Reuters.

12:31 PM

South Korea imposes entry restrictions

South Korea will bar entry by foreigners who have visited Hubei Province, the epicentre of a new coronavirus outbreak in China, South Korea's prime minister said on Sunday, according to Yonhap news agency. The entry ban will go into effect on Tuesday, Yonhap reported, citing Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun.

12:30 PM

Japan confirms 3 more virus patients

Japan confirmed an additional three cases of the new coronavirus among evacuees from the Chinese city of Wuhan, including one who initially tested negative, the health ministry said on Saturday, bringing the country's total to 20 cases. One of the three, a man in his 40s who had symptoms such as fever and coughing, first tested negative for coronavirus, Reuters reported quoting the the ministry.

11:41 AM

India flies home more citizens from Wuhan

India on Sunday airlifted a second batch of 323 stranded Indians and seven Maldivian citizens from China's coronavirus-hit Wuhan city, taking the total number of people evacuated to 654. Air India's jumbo B747 made two flights to Wuhan city.

11:37 AM

Philippines reports first death outside China

The Philippines has reported the first death outside China from the coronavirus, the World Health Organization said. The Philippines Department of Health said a 44-year-old man from Wuhan city in central Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, had died after developing severe pneumonia

 

3:00 PM

Over 300 Bangladeshis return home from virus-hit Wuhan on special aircraft

Over 300 Bangladeshis on Saturday returned home from Chinese city Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, on a special aircraft and were quarantined in a facility under military and police vigil, officials said.

 

State-run Biman Airlines' Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft carrying 312 Bangladeshis, including 12 children and three infants, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) here in afternoon, Biman spokeswomen Tahera Khondoker said..

 

Khondoker said 15 crew and four doctors were on board the special flight.

 

The evacuees were directly escorted to nearby Ashkona Hajj Camp from the airport, where they would have to stay under medical observation for next 14 days as the time is considered as the incubation period of the virus, a Bangladeshi health ministry spokesman said.

 

According to a report in BD News, seven people suffering from fever were sent to hospital after they arrived from Wuhan.

 

The death toll in the coronavirus epidemic has soared to 259 with total confirmed cases surging to 11,791 in China amid stepped up efforts by a number of countries to evacuate their nationals from Hubei province and its capital Wuhan.

 

The virus emerged in early December and has been traced to a market in Wuhan that sold wild animals.

 

The World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a global emergency on Thursday.

 

Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen during a media briefing with Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Friday said the returnees were not sick, but we don't want to take any risk and they must go through the required medical observations.

 

1:56 PM

Apple closes China stores until Feb 9 due to coronavirus outbreak

Apple announced on Saturday the closure of its stores, corporate offices and contact centres in mainland China until February 9 due to the new coronavirus epidemic.

The company said in a statement that it had made the decision "out of an abundance of caution and based on the latest advice from leading health experts".
 

1:29 PM

US bars foreigners who recently visited China

The United States of America has declared a public health emergency over the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus and said it would deny entry to any foreign nationals who have visited China in the past two weeks, it was reported on Saturday.

In a public statement on Friday, US Health Secretary Alex Azar said American citizens returning from Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, would face 14 days of quarantine, while those coming from other parts of China would be allowed to monitor their own condition for a similar period, the BBC said in a report.

"Following the World Health Organization's decision, I have today declared that the coronavirus represents a public health emergency in the US," he told the media.

Citing the need to relieve pressure on authorities, he said that foreign nationals who had travelled in China in the past 14 days would be denied entry to the US.

"The risk of infection for Americans remains low and with these, and our previous, actions we are working to keep the risk low," Azar added.

Another confirmed case in the US on Friday brought the total number to seven.

Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said 191 people were currently under observation

 

12:31 PM

Hong Kong could see an almost 2,000 per cent increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases: Report

Hong Kong could see an almost 2,000 per cent increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases over the next two weeks as people return to the city from mainland China after the Lunar New Year holiday, a scientist has claimed.

 

Addressing the media on Friday, Yuan Hsiang-yu of City University, called the start of February a "critical time for the government", the South China Morning Post (SCMP) said in a report.

 

As of Saturday, 259 people were killed due to the coronavirus in China, with a total of 11,791 infected cases. In Hong Kong, the number of cases rose to 13.

 

"The next two weeks will be a critical time for the government," Yuan said.

 

"Scientific estimates of potential cases could help with planning ahead for the manpower needed to track down patients and their contacts."

 

On Thursday, Hong Kong closed six entry points from China and cut flights and bus services to and from the mainland in an effort to curb the spread of the deadly disease.

 

12:14 PM

Nepal lacks preparation to handle coronavirus outbreak

Nepal, which has confirmed one case of the deadly novel coronavirus, was not well prepared to spot and contain the fatal disease, which has killed 259 people in China where the epidemic originated, a media report said.

 

"Since it is difficult to spot people who have not developed symptoms, we must quarantine everyone coming into Nepal from countries where coronavirus has been detected for at least two weeks," The Himalayan Times said in the report citing Bibek Kumar Lal, director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, as saying on Friday.

 

But Nepal does not have adequate technology and tools to ensure that the virus does not find its way into the country, Lal added.

 

The Himalayan nation was yet to install thermal scanners at land border points. Although authorities have closed down the Nepal-China border point at Rasuwagadi, others were open for the movement of people.

 

"Health desks at those border points are using digital thermometer to record body temperature of people," said Lal, adding, "Even if we buy thermal scanners, we need controlled environment to place them and it is impossible to set up such facilities at the moment."

 

As of now, Tribhuvan International Airport is the only place in Nepal where a thermal scanner has been installed.

 

Even if people suspected to have contracted coronavirus are spotted in a place like TIA, Nepal does not have proper ambulances to transfer patients to health facilities, according to doctors.

 

But even if suspected patients were taken to hospitals in ordinary ambulances, their disease may not be diagnosed because the National Public Health Laboratory lacks reagents to conduct comprehensive test of the virus.

 

While the Ministry of Health and Population acknowledged these shortcoming, its spokesperson Mahendra Shrestha however, said: "We are working on it," The Himalayan Times report added.

 

Besides Nepal, India and Sri Lanka are the other two South Asian countries to have confirmed one case each.

12:11 PM

Two more coronavirus suspects admitted to Delhi's RML

Amid fears of novel coronavirus, two more suspected cases of coronavirus have come to Delhi's Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, that makes a total of 8 suspected cases which are admitted to the hospital. The samples of the two suspected cases have been sent for testing.

 

Speaking to IANS, RML's PRO Smriti Tiwari said: "Two more people suspected to be infected with coronavirus have been admitted to the Hospital. Their samples have been sent for testing."

 

She also said that a total of 8 suspected cases of coronavirus are currently at the RML hospital. "Two males, aging 23-year and 46-year olds have been admitted to the hospital today. One was staying in China for the last 5 years and returned from there on January 24 from Wuhan while the other visited China for 2 months and returned on January 18."

 

There were a total of 6 suspected cases as on January 30, including 4 males, 1 female and an one old admission. The 24-year old female suspected patient had been residing in China since 2015. She returned on January 29. While others were staying in China for as long as 7 years. Some of them were in China for over two months, informed Tiwari.

 

The dreaded virus started spreading from China's Wuhan city. Chinese authorities on Saturday announced that the death toll in the country has increased to 259, with 11,791 infected cases in 31 provincial-level regions.

11:25 AM

Another Air India plane to leave for Wuhan at 12:50 pm today

A special Air India plane landed in New Delhi on Saturday morning after evacuating 324 Indian nationals from the novel coronavirus-hit Wuhan and another flight of the airline would leave the national capital for the Chinese city in the afternoon, officials said.

 

The first plane -- Air India's jumbo B747 aircraft carrying 211 students, 110 working professionals and three minors-- reached Delhi around 7.30 am, they said.

 

There were five doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and one paramedical staff on board, said an Air India spokesperson. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
 

11:06 AM

1,804 passengers screened for coronavirus in Punjab

A total of 1,804 passengers have been screened for novel coronavirus at Amritsar and Mohali airports as well as border check posts of Atari and Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab, Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said.

He said no symptomatic or suspected case of coronavirus has been reported out of these passengers.

Sidhu said the government of India on Friday issued the guidelines that all passengers coming from China after January 15 will be screened and tested.

He said all the passengers coming from China to Punjab after January 15 are being contacted and samples are being taken. Twenty-three samples will be sent for testing at the National Institute of Virology in Pune.

He said 33 passengers with travel history to China had reported in the state, out of which two samples of suspected patients have been tested negative and eight passengers have completed 14 days observation period and the remaining 23 passengers are under regular observation of the Department of Health.
 

Photo: Shutterstock

11:00 AM

Special flight carrying SL nationals return from Wuhan

A special SriLankan Airlines flight on Saturday landed Colombo with Sri Lankan students and their family members, who were stranded in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak.

 

According to authorities, they will be quarantined at the Diyatalawa army camp, reports the Daily Mirror newspaper.

 

The flag carrier's special UL-1422 flight departed for Wuhan at 3.45 p.m. from the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) on Friday.

 

The Foreign Relations Ministry said that as of January 30, the estimated number of Sri Lankan students and family members remaining in China has declined to 284, from the estimated 864 when the outbreak was first reported.

 

The statement said 580 persons have returned to Sri Lanka.

 

Meanwhile, Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. (AASL) have confirmed that proactive measures were being taken to identify, create awareness and to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, which has so far killed 259 people in China, within the BIA premises.

 

"We are following the procedure outlined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus infection and some of world's most advanced airports," AASL Chairman Rtd. Major General G.A. Chandrasiri told the Daily Financial Times.

 

"In the past few days, we have had only four suspicious travellers who came from the airport, and it has been confirmed that they were not infected with coronavirus," he added.

 

The developments come after Sri Lanka confirmed its first coronavirus case, making it the third country in South Asia after India and Nepal also reported one case each.

10:33 AM

Another Air India special flight will depart today at 12:50 pm from Delhi for Wuhan

10:33 AM

Indian nationals from Wuhan brought ITBP Chhawla Camp for medical observation

10:09 AM

UK confirms first coronavirus cases as outbreak spreads globally

The UK confirmed its first two cases of novel coronavirus on Friday, while the US and Japan advised citizens to avoid travelling to China. This came hours after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global health emergency.

 

“The main reason for this declaration is not what is happening in China but what is happening in other countries,” the WHO said, raising concerns over the effects it would have if the virus spreads to countries with weaker health systems.

 

Cases around the world rose to 9,950, surpassing the number officially reported during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic. The death toll in China has climbed to 213. The country announced it will send charter flights to bring back its citizens from Wuhan who are overseas. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

10:08 AM

McDonald's to Toyota, companies fear for business in China

Some companies have warned that a coronavirus outbreak in China that has killed more than 250 people and infected thousands could disrupt supply chains or hurt bottom lines as factories and shops shut and airlines suspend flights. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

9:24 AM

Air India flight with 324 Indians from China lands in Delhi

Air India's jumbo B747 plane, evacuating 324 Indian nationals from the novel coronavirus-hit Wuhan in China, landed in Delhi on Saturday morning, officials said.

 

The plane reached Delhi around 7.30 am, they said.

 

There were five doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and one paramedical staff on board, said an Air India spokesperson.

 

The Indian Army has set up a quarantine facility in Manesar near Delhi to keep those evacuated from China's Hubei province.

 

Officials said they would be monitored for any signs of infection for a duration of two weeks by a qualified team of doctors and staff members. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE