Coronavirus LIVE: Four Indians on board cruise ship test positive

The viral outbreak that began in China has so far infected more than 77,000 people globally

10:46 AM

South Korea virus cases spike, as Italy and Iran take drastic steps

South Korea reported a sharp jump in coronavirus cases on Sunday, while Italy and Iran took drastic containment steps as worldwide fears over the epidemic spiralled higher.

10:46 AM

Italy clamps down on travel after virus deaths, as cases rise

Two deaths from the new coronavirus sparked fears throughout northern Italy, as about 50,000 people were poised for a weeks-long lockdown imposed by authorities trying to halt a further increase in infections.

Italy on Friday became the first country in Europe to report the death of one of its own nationals from the virus, triggering travel restrictions on about a dozen towns where the number of people contaminated has continued to rise.

10:45 AM

Coronavirus may be the 'Disease X' WHO cautioned about years ago

The World Health Organization cautioned years ago that a mysterious “disease X” could spark an international contagion. The new coronavirus, with its ability to quickly morph from mild to deadly, is emerging as a contender.

12:44 AM

New coronavirus cases fall in China, but WHO concerned by global spread

China reported a sharp fall in new deaths and cases of the coronavirus, but world health officials warned it was too early to make predictions about the outbreak as new infections continued to rise in other countries

In South Korea, authorities said, the number of new infections had doubled to 433, and suggested the tally could rise significantly as more than 1,000 people who attended a church at the centre of the outbreak reported flu-like symptoms

12:04 AM

G20 sees need to coordinate response as IMF trims growth forecasts

The world's top economies called for a coordinated response to the coronavirus outbreak, which the IMF predicted would lower China's growth this year to 5.6 per cent and shave 0.1 percentage points from global growth

 

International Monetary Fund presented the outlook to central bankers and finance ministers from the Group of 20 countries, but said the IMF continued to look at more dire scenarios. 

12:02 AM

Ten new cases of coronavirus in Iran, two dead

Authorities in Iran announced the detection of at least 10 new cases of coronavirus and two more deaths, deepening a sense of public unease over the handling of the spread of the disease

10:00 PM

India's robust health surveillance stalled coronavirus entry: Harsh Vardhan

India remained protected from novel Coronavirus due to its robust health surveillance system, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said here on Saturday.

 

He also hailed qualified health professionals for "resisting" the Ebola, Nipah virus and Swineflu in the past.

 

Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Academic and Administrative Building of the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) here, the Health Minister said India is now in a position to achieve the World Health Organisation's (WHO) 'Health for All' goal and to form a healthcare model that can be emulated by other countries.

9:55 PM

100 passengers in close contact with infected leave Japan ship

Around 100 more passengers were allowed to disembark from the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship on Saturday as Japan's health minister apologised after 23 others were allowed to leave without being properly tested.

 

The 100 passengers who left on Saturday had been in close contact with infected people on board, local media said.

 

They included the last group of Japanese passengers to leave the ship while some foreign passengers were still waiting on board for chartered aircraft to be sent by their governments. Around 970 passengers disembarked earlier this week.

9:51 PM

Researchers develop coronavirus vaccine candidate

A team of researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia has created their first vaccine candidate in the laboratory for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

 

The team will move immediately into further development before formal pre-clinical testing, the university said on Friday.

 

The proof-of-concept milestone comes in less than a month after the project's announcement on January 24 as part of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) rapid response programme.

9:40 PM

China delaying permission to India to send IAF plane to Wuhan: Sources

China is "deliberately delaying" permission for an Indian Air Force plane to coronavirus-hit Wuhan to supply relief materials and bring back more Indians from the city, official sources said on Saturday.

 

India submitted its request with Chinese authorities on February 13 for the C-17 military transport aircraft while the flight plan was submitted on February 15 with a proposal mentioning February 20 as its date of departure, they said.

 

When contacted, a Chinese Embassy spokesperson said there was no deliberate delay in grant of permission for the Indian plane to reach Wuhan, adding China always attaches great importance to health and safety of Indian nationals in living in the country.

9:40 PM

Japan finmin: G20 generally agrees on need to coordinate over coronavirus

Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Saturday that Group of 20 nations generally agreed on the need to coordinate in responding to the new coronavirus that emerged in China and has spread globally.

 

Aso said he did not believe that risks to Japan's economy have heightened dramatically but declined comment on recent weakness in the yen.

 

He said almost all the G20 finance leaders gathered in Saudi Arabia on Saturday had mentioned risk from the new coronavirus, which has led to massive business disruptions in China that are starting to spill over into the global economy.

9:31 PM

The coronavirus outbreak may curb demand for oil in China, which has reported more than 2,000 deaths, and other Asian countries, further depressing oil prices, industry body the Institute of International Finance (IIF) said on Friday

9:17 PM

Covid-19: Over 46k screened at Mumbai airport since January 18

As many as 46,218 people have been screened at the Mumbai international airport till Saturday since January 18 as part of the protocol to tackle the novel coronavirus (covid-19) outbreak, the Maharashtra government has said.

 

The virus outbreak was first detected in Wuhan in China in December and has since affected thousands of people across the globe.

 

A Maharashtra government release stated that 80 of the 82 people admitted in isolation wards in hospitals in the state for suspected exposure to covid-19 have tested negative, while two remain admitted in Mumbai hospitals.

9:00 PM

Coronavirus may have started in Xinjiang's prison camps

The coronavirus epidemic in China appears to have started from the cramped prison system, possibly at internment facilities in Xinjiang, according to media reports and social media posts.

 

China's Ministry of Justice officials on Friday said that more than 500 prisoners in five prisons in three provinces had contracted the virus which has so far sickened almost 80,000 people and killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in China.

 

Some 56 million people in central Hubei province and its capital Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, have been placed under unprecedented lockdown.

8:46 PM

China yet to allow India to evacuate citizens from Wuhan

A week after India sought permission to send a special flight to deliver medical supplies and evacuate remaining Indian nationals from Wuhan, the epicentre of Covid-19 epidemic, China is yet to respond.

 

China permitted two special Air India flights to evacuate 647 Indians and seven Maldivians earlier this month.

 

Sources said India on February 13 had submitted its request for a third flight. An Indian Air Force's largest plane C-17 Globemaster with medical supplies was to go to Wuhan and evacuate remaining Indian citizens and of the neighbouring countries.

8:13 PM

US says Russia behind huge coronavirus disinformation campaign

Thousands of Russian-linked social media accounts have launched a coordinated effort to spread alarm about the new coronavirus, disrupting global efforts to combat the epidemic, US officials told AFP.

 

The disinformation campaign promotes unfounded conspiracy theories that the United States is behind the COVID-19 outbreak, in an apparent bid to damage the US image by seizing on international health concerns, they said.

 

False personas are being used on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to advance Russian talking points and conspiracies, including suggesting that the CIA is behind the virus that has claimed more than 2,300 lives, mostly in China.

7:47 PM

WHO team visits Wuhan city as death toll in China's coronovirus crosses over 2,300

A team of WHO experts visited China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus, on Saturday as death toll due to the epidemic climbed to 2,345 with 109 more fatalities reported, while the confirmed cases of infection rose to 76,288, Chinese health officials said on Saturday.

 

The team of public health experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) has visited Wuhan city, the capital of Hubei province, to conduct a detailed probe about the virus which reportedly originated from a sea food market in December last year.

 

The NHC said the WHO experts along with their Chinese counterparts who formed a joint investigation team have held talks with the local health authority in Wuhan and visited relevant healthcare institutions.

 

The UN team comprises specialists from the United States, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, Russia, Singapore and South Korea, Hong-Kong based South China Morning Post reported.

 

The 12-member team, which arrived in China on Monday, was initially designated to visit only Beijing, Guangdong and Sichuan provinces, while the worst-affected Hubei province and its capital Wuhan were missing from the list.

7:45 PM

IMF's Georgieva says coronavirus to shave 0.1 percentage points from global growth

The fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak will likely lower China's economic growth this year to 5.6%, down 0.4 percentage points from its January outlook, and shave 0.1 percentage points from global growth, the IMF said on Saturday.

 

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva presented the outlook to central bankers and finance ministers from the world's 20 largest economies gathered in Riyadh, but said the IMF continued to look at more dire scenarios.

 

China reported a sharp fall in new deaths and cases of the coronavirus on Saturday but world health officials warned it was too early to make predictions about the outbreak as new infections continued to rise in other countries.

7:27 PM

WHO sounds alarm over Africa coronavirus preparedness

The World Health Organisation warned Saturday that African health systems would be ill-equipped to respond to the deadly coronavirus outbreak should cases start to proliferate on the continent. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on African Union member 

states "to come together to be more aggressive in attacking" the virus, known as COVID-19.

 

"Our biggest concern continues to be the potential for COVID-19 to spread in countries with weaker health systems," Tedros, speaking by video link from Geneva, said during a meeting of African health ministers at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.

 

 

The outbreak which began in December has already killed more than 2,200 people and infected more than 75,500 in China.

7:00 PM

Amid Coronavirus threat, Centre plans to begin screening for flights from Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia too

In the wake of Coronavirus outbreak, the Centre is now planning to start universal screening at airports for flights from Kathmandu (Nepal), Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia along with those from other countries, this decision was taken in a high-level meeting chaired by Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Saturday.

 

This universal screening will be in addition to those as per the earlier advisories.

 

Gauba chaired the high-level meeting to review the status, actions taken and preparedness of states and union territories, amid the scare caused by Novel Coronavirus outbreak.

 

According to a release by the PIB, Secretaries of Health and Family Welfare, Civil Aviation, Defence, Information and Broadcasting, DG AFMS and representatives from External Affairs, Home Affairs, Bureau of Immigration, ITBP and Army were also present in the meeting.

6:36 PM

G20 ministers weigh coronavirus risks at Saudi meeting

Finance ministers and central bank governors from G20 nations weighed the potential impact of the coronavirus epidemic on the world economy as they met in Riyadh Saturday for a two-day gathering.

 

At the meeting in Saudi Arabia, the first Arab nation to hold the G20 presidency, financial leaders from the world's top 20 economies are also seeking consensus on ways to achieve a global taxation system for the digital era.

 

The gathering comes amid growing alarm over the new coronavirus as Chinese authorities lock down millions of people to prevent the spread of the disease, with major knock-on effects for the global economy.

6:10 PM

Markets underprice coronavirus risk: UBS chairman

Markets are underpricing the risk that the coronavirus outbreak poses to the global economy, and central banks need to help business survive the impact of the virus, the chairman of Swiss lender UBS, Axel Weber, said.

 

6:00 PM

Iran now says 5 dead out of 28 infected with new coronavirus

Iranian health authorities on Saturday reported a fifth death from the new virus that emerged in China, and said the fatality was from 

among 10 new confirmed cases of the virus in Iran.

 

So far, 28 cases have been confirmed in Iran, including the five who died.

6:00 PM

India's apparel exports may get boost as coronavirus impacts China's market

India may register an increase in its apparel export as China's market has been hit due to the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (nCoV), said A Sakthivel, the chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC).

 

Since December, more than 2,000 people, mainly in China, have lost their lives to Coronavirus that causes a respiratory disease called Covid-19.

 

"Maybe there will be a 20 per cent immediate increase in the exports and later it may slowly increase up to 50-60 per cent," A Sakthivel said.

5:45 PM

Aamir Khan urges Chinese fans to take precautions, follow instructions of govt

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, who is very popular in China, has expressed concern over the coronavirus outbreak in the country that has claimed over 2,300 lives and advised people to take precautions and follow government's instructions in "this time of crisis".

 

Khan, 54, has become a household name in China due to the huge popularity of his movies such as "3 Idiots" and "Dangal".

 

The actor interacts with his Chinese fans through Weibo social media account which is akin to Twitter.

5:30 PM

Vietnam reports supply chain issues from virus, says may hit Samsung output

Vietnam's manufacturing sector is suffering supply chain problems caused by the coronavirus epidemic, which may delay production of Samsung Electronics' new phones, the Ministry of Industry and Trade told Reuters on Friday.

 

"Car, electronics and phone manufacturers are experiencing difficulty in acquiring supplies and materials due to disruptions from the virus," the ministry's Industry Agency said in an emailed statement.

 

"Vietnam relies much on China for materials and equipment, which makes the country become vulnerable when such outbreak happens," it said.

5:17 PM

China expects more transport companies to resume operations by late Feb, early March

More transport sector companies in China are expected to resume operations by late February or March, a transport official said on Saturday, as officials try to get the economy up and running again while containing a coronavirus outbreak that has created massive business disruptions.

 

In particular, authorities are trying to get delivery companies back in operation as quickly as possible, Wu Chungeng, an official at the Ministry of Transport, told a news briefing.

 

Some companies which have reopened have complained of shortages of parts and materials due to transport restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus, while others say they can't get finished goods to customers. The disruptions are increasingly spilling over into global supply chains.

4:57 PM

Japan's new virus cases rise again as doubts about prevention grow

Japanese government officials confirmed 14 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday as public health authorities struggle to contain a global epidemic.

 

Among the cases was a junior high school teacher in Chiba prefecture just east of Tokyo, who went to work even though she had symptoms, raising fears the virus could spread among her students and co-workers.

 

In the northern prefecture of Hokkaido, a boy less than 10 years old was added to the list. On Friday, two brothers in an elementary school in Hokkaido were confirmed infected.

4:30 PM

Second coronavirus patient dies in Italy: Reports

A second patient infected with the new coronavirus has died in Italy, ANSA news agency reported citing healthcare sources, as an outbreak spreads in the north of the country with 30 cases reported so far.

 

The victim was a female resident in Milan's Lombardy region, ANSA said. Her reported death comes hours after a 77-year-old man died overnight near Padua, in the nearby Veneto region.

4:08 PM

Govt asks citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Singapore

In furtherance to the travel advisory issued earlier in the wake of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, the government on Saturday advised citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Singapore.

 

It also said screening at airports is now being planned for flight passengers coming to India from Kathmandu, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia from Monday.

 

Currently, passengers from China, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore and Japan are screened at 21 designated airports in the country for a possible exposure to the novel coronavirus. Read more