Coronavirus wrap: Toll crosses 1,000; 'public enemy number 1', says WHO
The death toll from the novel coronavirus in China jumped to 811 on Saturday, with the number of confirmed cases rising to 34,646. Catch LIVE update
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Man wearing a face mask collects free vegetables sorted by community workers of the residential compound, following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan
The death toll in China due to the novel coronavirus epidemic rose to 1,016 on Tuesday, while 108 new deaths were reported in the worst-affected Hubei province. The confirmed cases of infection soared to 42,638,
Among the deaths, 103 were in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, and one each in Beijing, Tianjin, Heilongjiang, Anhui and Henan, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the commission as saying.
The new virus is believed to have emerged last year in a market that sells wild animals in Hubei's capital Wuhan, the city at the centre of the outbreak, before spreading across the country. The World Health Organization (WHO) said Saturday that the number of cases being reported daily in China was "stabilising", although the health body warned it was too early to say if the virus had peaked.
With coronavirus getting a tighter grip on the China and impacting world trade, most analysts have started lowering global growth forecasts for the first quarter of calendar year 2020 (Q1-2020). Those at UBS, for instance, expect this would be the weakest quarter for global growth since the global financial crisis (GFC) and on par with the Asian crisis in the late 1990s.
Authorities are fighting to stop it from spreading as millions travel for Chinese New Year, and scientists are trying to understand the virus, which has not been seen by humans before, and its effects.
3:11 AM
How the coronavirus outbreak could kill steel's fragile recovery
As steel production in China in 2019 was up by an impressive, but somewhat unexpected 8.3 per cent to 996.3 million tonnes (mt), the country’s share of the world output of 1.87 billion tonnes (bt) rose to 53.9 per cent from 50.9 per cent in 2018. In aluminium and copper too, the world’s second largest economy has a predominantly big share of global production and consumption. What is more, with the country being aggressively engaged in infrastructure building and construction activities with stimulus often provided by Beijing, most of its metal production is consumed locally. Read more.
3:10 AM
Coronavirus crisis credit negative for Asia-Pacific port operators: Moody's
The outbreak of coronavirus in China is credit-negative for Asia-Pacific’s (APAC’s) port operators, given that it has disrupted domestic and global supply chains and has lowered discretionary consumer spending. This will lead to reduced throughput growth of APAC’s ports in 2020. Read more.
3:08 AM
Beijing's dangerous groupthink epidemic
The eruption of anger on China’s social media platforms after the death late last week of Li Wenliang, a doctor in Wuhan who raised the alarm about the outbreak of a mysterious pneumonia-like virus witnessed at the city’s hospitals several weeks before the local and national government declared an emergency on January 22, has been so unrestrained that it appeared as if Communist censors have gone on strike. Read more.
3:06 AM
'Sick' pharma PSU offers to step in to reduce China drug dependence
The coronavirus outbreak has exposed India’s vulnerability when it comes to sourcing crucial raw materials for medicines from China, which meets about 70 per cent of the country's bulk drugs, or active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), requirement. Read more.
11:24 PM
Vaccine for new coronavirus could be ready in 18 months: WHO
The first vaccine targeting China's coronavirus could be available in 18 months, "so we have to do everything today using available weapons", World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva on Tuesday.
He said the virus had been named COVID-19, explaining that it was important to avoid stigma and that other names could be inaccurate.
11:20 PM
Coronavirus emergency is 'public enemy number 1': WHO
China's coronavirus outbreak poses a "very grave threat for the rest of the world" and should be viewed as "Public Enemy Number 1", the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to step up measures to detect and contain the virus, especially in at least 30 countries with weaker health systems, where it could "create havoc".
11:19 PM
Cisco, Facebook, Sprint pull out of Barcelona meet over coronavirus fears
Cisco Systems Inc, Sprint Corp and Facebook Inc on Tuesday became the latest US technology companies to pull out of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona due to the coronavirus outbreak.
A number of companies ranging from Japan's NTT Docomo and Sony Corp to US chipmakers Intel Corp and Nvidia have already dropped out of the four-day international telecoms conference that draws in more than 100,000 visitors.
11:14 PM
Three under observation in Maharashtra; 25,782 screened
Three patients are under observation in hosptials in Maharashtra for the novel coronavirus and nearly 25,800 passengers have been screened at the airport in Mumbai since January 18 for possible exposure to the infection, state health officials said on Tuesday.
Of these patients, who showed symptoms similar to the coronavirus (2019-nCoV), two are in Pune-based Naidu Hospital, while one is in Mumbai's civic-run Kasturba Hospital, they said.
No confirmed case of the viral infection, which originated in China, has been found in the state so far.
11:13 PM
Maharashtra woman appeals for rescue from Wuhan in China
A woman from Satara district of Maharashtra stranded in Wuhan in China due to the novel coronavirus outbreak there has appealed to the Centre through social media to airlift her and several compatriots facing a similar situation.
Ashini Avinash Patil, in a video being circulated on social media, claimed she was stuck in Wuhan, one of the worst-hit cities in China, along with 70-80 other Indians.
11:11 PM
Smartphone industry feels impact of supply disruption due to coronavirus outbreak in China
The Indian smartphone industry, which relies heavily on China for components and sub-assemblies, has started feeling the impact of supply disruptions in certain product categories due to the coronavirus outbreak, market watchers said on Tuesday.
The industry is keeping a close watch to see if shuttered factories in China reopen in the coming days and supplies resume sometime this week.
"Yes, the industry is already feeling the impact and some products and models have been impacted. It is still early to draw any conclusion as select factories are slated to resume production in a phased manner," India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo told PTI.
Topics : Coronavirus China
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First Published: Feb 07 2020 | 7:39 AM IST