Thousands of couples – many in face masks – wed in a mass Unification Church ceremony on Friday despite concerns over the spread of the coronavirus
Continue reading...Category Archives: Infectious Diseases
Concerns coronavirus is going undetected in Indonesia
World’s fourth most populous country says it has no confirmed cases despite close links to China
There is growing concern that the new coronavirus may be going undetected in Indonesia, where officials have not confirmed a single case of infection among the 272 million-strong population despite the country’s close links to China.
As of Thursday, Indonesia said it had no confirmed cases of the coronavirus and that 238 people evacuated from Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak, had not shown symptoms, although it said they hadn’t been tested.
Continue reading...Coronavirus live updates: cruise ship cases rise to 61 as China mourns whistleblower doctor – latest news
Li Wenliang’s death in Wuhan comes as Hong Kong prepares to impose quarantine on mainland travellers. Follow live updates
- Doctor who blew whistle over coronavirus has died, hospital says
- Profile of whistleblower doctor
- First British national to contract coronavirus had been in Singapore
- Share your stories
Toyota has extended the closure of its 12 factories in China by a week.
Officials at the Beijing press conference said they had confidence in the economic system and that the impact on the economy from the outbreak would be “temporary. It will be limited and will not affect the fundamentals, and the economy is sound and stable”.
They added:
The outbreak has taken place during the spring festival and the impact on services is notable. The holiday has been extended and the construction sector and other sectors will be affected. There will be an impact on economic performance in Q1 but the economy will return to productivity when the epidemic is over. Look at 2003 Sars outbreak. There was disrupted growth in Q2 but in Q3 it rebounded. When the epidemic is controlled, the economy will rebound and pent-up investment and consumption released. The Chinese econony will have a quick recovery. it is promising and resilient. The funadmentals will not change. There is ample room for macro regulation – China is one of the few major economies that have normal monetary policy so we have sufficient tools to repsond.
Continue reading...‘Hidden’ coronavirus cases could thwart containment efforts, experts warn
Failure to report mild symptoms combined with highly contagious nature of disease raises fears existing figures are ‘tip of the iceberg’
Global health experts have warned that “hidden” infections make containment of the coronavirus unlikely and raised fears that the rapidly rising caseload of 25,000 people could be the “tip of the iceberg”.
“Hidden” cases – where people with mild symptoms do not seek medical help and so remain untested and unrecorded – combined with the highly contagious nature of the disease mean there could be “vastly more cases” than previously thought, according to Tom Frieden, a former director at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Continue reading...Coronavirus live updates: China deaths pass 560 as 10 more cruise passengers test positive – latest news
Wuhan authorities warn of lack of ‘equipment and materials’ and consider converting hotels and schools into treatment centres. Follow live news and updates
- Deaths reach 563, with fresh cases on stricken cruise ship off Japan
- Hong Kong faces ‘double devastation’ as coronavirus and civil unrest take toll
- Mother-baby transmission unproven despite case of newborn
- Tokyo Olympics chief says coronavirus could disrupt Games
Here’s a summary of what we know so far today about the spread of the coronavirus.
Here’s the latest tracker image from Johns Hopkins University on the spread of the coronavirus. If you want to check in on the tracker, you can find it here.
Continue reading...More Australian coronavirus evacuees arrive on Christmas Island to be quarantined – video
Thirty-five Australian citizens and permanent residents, including 13 children and infants, have arrived on Christmas Island from Wuhan for a 14-day quarantine. They join 241 other Australians evacuated from Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak
Continue reading...Will coronavirus make markets take a ‘black swan’ dive?
Impact of Chinese outbreak has already rippled out well beyond world’s No 2 economy
The impact of coronavirus on the global economy is growing and spreading daily. What started as a medical emergency in the Chinese city of Wuhan has led to planes being grounded, cruise ships being quarantined, theme parks being shut and car plants being mothballed.
TV footage of deserted streets and empty shops tell their own story: China’s economy, which was already slowing, is going to suffer a major hit as the authorities seek to stop the virus from spreading.
Continue reading...Do face masks help prevent coronavirus? – video explainer
The Guardian's health editor, Sarah Boseley, gives the lowdown on the effectiveness of wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus, explains how viruses are spread, and offers tips on staying healthy and safe as the outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, continues to spread
Coronavirus live updates: all arrivals to Hong Kong from mainland China face ‘compulsory quarantine’ – latest news
Thousands on board Diamond Princess cruise ship in offshore quarantine in Japan after 10 people test positive, as China death toll passes 490
- Thousands trapped on cruise ship in Japan after 10 test positive
- Britons returning from China advised to stay at home if they fall ill
- What is self-isolation?
- Share your experiences
A hotel worker in the northern Italian city of Verona has tested negative for coronavirus.
The woman, who was isolated after coming down with a fever, is a member of staff at the same hotel where a Chinese couple being treated for the virus in Rome stayed for one night.
Here’s a report from Josh Taylor, a Guardian reporter based in Melbourne, that the Australian government is considering sending its citizens evacuated from Wuhan to isolated mining camps if Christmas Island reaches capacity for people being quarantined.
The home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, admitted there is the possibility that Christmas Island could reach capacity if the outbreak continues to spread. He said one option would be for people to share rooms, or potentially even open up other locations away from the rest of the Australian population.
Related: Coronavirus: 14th Australian case confirmed as Dutton says people could be sent to mining camps
Continue reading...Cruise ships quarantined over coronavirus – in pictures
Thousands of passengers and crew on two cruise ships in Asian waters have been placed in quarantine after cases of coronavirus were confirmed onboard. About 3,700 people are facing at least two weeks locked away on the Diamond Princess cruise liner anchored off Japan, while 1,800 passengers and crew are being kept onboard the World Dream, docked in Hong Kong
Continue reading...Diary of a coronavirus evacuee: ‘Everyone’s trying to avoid contact with each other’ | Daniel Ou Yang
Australian Daniel Ou Yang, 21, was on the Air New Zealand flight out of virus-struck Wuhan to Auckland. Here he writes about the stress of his evacuation
At 2.52pm, we arrived at Wuhan Tianjin airport.
The drive here was smooth, all the big wide roads with no cars on them. We made it through the checkpoints and arrived within an hour.
Continue reading...The coronavirus lays bare the limits of WHO’s health diplomacy with China
The global body is accused of failing to act fast to halt epidemic but the true cost of doing politics with Beijing is still unknown
On social media this week the insults were flying thick and fast, some tinged with racism, but all with a common theme: how the World Health Organization, and its head, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was effectively doing the bidding of the Chinese government in the midst of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.
It is a charge that has also been expressed in less offensive terms elsewhere in columns and articles, some of which have focused on whether, in praising China’s response to the deadly Wuhan coronavirus outbreak during a visit to Beijing, Tedros allowed himself to become complicit in China’s flawed handling of the outbreak in its early days?
Continue reading...Is UK overreacting to coronavirus crisis by telling citizens to leave China?
Decision leaves tens of thousands weighing up huge choice without knowing why they should leave
- Full story: UK tells Britons in China to leave
- Stay or go? Britons in China weigh up coronavirus risks
The British government’s surprise announcement telling Britons to leave China “if they can” comes amid mounting international concern about the spread of coronavirus.
But the advice came with no detailed guidance about why the UK’s position had changed – making it unclear whether this was a political stance, or a position based on new medical guidance that British authorities have not shared publicly.
Continue reading...Coronavirus: first Hong Kong death reported as China cases pass 20,000 – live updates
Thirty-nine-year-old man in Hong Kong believed to have had underlying condition. Death is only second outside mainland China
- China’s leadership admits ‘shortcomings’ in coronavirus response
- Coronavirus: British evacuee falls ill during flight from China
- How to protect yourself
- Hundreds of Canadians await evacuation flight from Wuhan
From gassy passengers to viral anthems: how Beijing is seeking to lighten the mood amid the coronavirus crisis. This includes state media striking an upbeat or humorous tone, in line with President Xi Jinping’s call for “public opinion guidance”. Read the full story below:
Related: From gassy passengers to viral anthems: Beijing seeks to lighten mood amid crisis
Reports that a South Korean person has tested positive for coronavirus following a visit to Thailand are likely to cause great concern to Thai officials. The outbreak has already dealt a massive blow to Thailand’s tourism industry, which relies upon Chinese visitors.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand said it expects 2 million fewer Chinese tourists this year than last year, when 11 million visited.
Continue reading...Coronavirus: Hong Kong reports first death as China’s leadership admits ‘shortcomings’
Carrie Lam says measures would be taken ‘to reduce people movement across the border’ as death toll grows
Hong Kong has reported its first death from the coronavirus as the number of fatalities from the outbreak in China passed 420.
A 39-year-old man with an underlying health condition died on Tuesday morning, according to public broadcaster RTHK.
Continue reading...Coronavirus: China issues ‘urgent’ appeal for protective equipment – live news
Follow the latest developments as dozens more die in the province at the centre of the outbreak
- Dozens more die in province at centre of outbreak
- Chinese shares drop amid fears of virus impact
- Brazilians stranded in Wuhan issue rescue plea
- 11 more Britons to be flown home
Sixty Italians evacuated from Wuhan arrived at a military base near Rome on Monday.
A passenger who was expected to be on board the flight remained in Wuhan after coming down with a fever, Italian media reported. The group will be quarantined for up to two weeks.
As researchers are racing to develop a vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus, the British drugmaker GSK has teamed up with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to aid efforts to produce a vaccine.
GSK, one of the world’s biggest vaccine makers, says it will make its “adjuvant platform technology” available. An adjuvant is added to some vaccines to improve the immune response and means the amount of antigen required per dose can be reduced – allowing more vaccine doses to be produced and made available to more people, which is crucial in a pandemic.
Gaining access to GSK’s world-leading adjuvant technology is a huge step forward in developing a vaccine against the novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV. Coupling GSK’s adjuvant systems with the pioneering platform technology we are funding has the potential to make more vaccine available more rapidly – by decreasing the dose of vaccine antigen required to protect each individual.”
Related: Researchers make strides in race to create coronavirus vaccine
Continue reading...Brazilians stranded in Wuhan issue plea to Bolsonaro for rescue
Citizens post video appealing for evacuation from city at centre of coronavirus outbreak
Brazilian citizens trapped in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, have issued an urgent plea to their president, Jair Bolsonaro, for them to be evacuated.
In a six-minute YouTube video the Brazilians noted how other countries – including the US, the UK, France, Japan and Italy – had already taken steps to rescue their citizens from the city.
Continue reading...Coronavirus: first death outside China recorded as total fatalities pass 300
Man from Wuhan has died in a Philippines hospital, says WHO, as Xi Jinping orders 1,400 more medical workers into Wuhan
The Philippines has reported the first death from the coronavirus outside China, adding to fears about the spread of the virus as more countries imposed travel restrictions.
The outbreak of the respiratory illness has killed 304 people in China since it was first detected in the central city of Wuhan late last year. Across China, there were 2,590 new confirmed infections on Saturday, bringing the total to 14,380, China’s National Health Commission said on Sunday. A study published on Saturday by scientists from the University of Hong Kong found that the virus may have infected as many as 75,815 people in Wuhan.
Continue reading...Fury in China as footage appears to show officials taking doctors’ face masks
Local and central government officials face growing wave of anger over handling of coronavirus outbreak
Footage of government officials in Wuhan appearing to take face masks intended for health workers battling the highly infectious coronavirus has fuelled a growing wave of anger over how Chinese authorities have handled the outbreak.
Images of medical staff making protective equipment out of rubbish bags, sleeping in hospitals, and crying in frustration and exhaustion have dominated Chinese social media over the last two weeks, inspiring an outpouring of sympathy and donations of supplies.
Continue reading...China’s reaction to the coronavirus violates human rights | Frances Eve
The WHO has praised country’s response, but heavy-handed approach could make things worse
When the World Health Organization declared the 2019nCoV coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency, it effusively praised China’s response to the outbreak. The WHO issued a statement welcoming the government’s “commitment to transparency”, and the WHO director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, tweeted: “China is actually setting a new standard for outbreak response.”
The WHO is ignoring Chinese government suppression of human rights regarding the outbreak, including severe restrictions on freedom of expression. In turn, Chinese state media are citing the WHO to defend its policies and try to silence criticism of its response to the outbreak, which has included rights violations that could make the situation worse.
Continue reading...