PHOTOS-COVID19 PANDEMIC?- 12.01.2019 -Day 98: Coronavirus infections rise above 100,000 worldwide as outbreak wreaks financial havoc
A man is seen wearing a protective face mask at the Waterloo station in London, Britain, on March 6, 2020. The number of people infected with the new coronavirus across the world surpassed 100,000.PHOTO: REUTERS
The number of people infected with coronavirus surpassed 100,000 across the world on Friday (March 6) as the outbreak reached more countries and intensified economic damage, with business districts beginning to empty and stock markets tumbling.
An increasing number of people were asked to stay home from work, schools were closed, large gatherings and sports and music events were cancelled, stores were cleared of staples like toiletries and water, and face masks became a common sight.
The outbreak has killed more than 3,400 people and spread across more than 90 nations, with six countries reporting their first cases on Friday.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said every country should make containing the epidemic its top priority, pointing to Iran’s national action plan to combat one of the worst outbreaks after a slow start.
Iran’s death toll from the virus jumped to 124, as more than 1,000 new cases were diagnosed over 24 hours.
In the United States, the world’s economic powerhouse, at least 57 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed as the virus struck for the first time in Colorado, Maryland, Tennessee and Texas, as well as San Francisco in California. Some 230 people have been infected in total and 12 have died.
MARKETS HIT
Yields on US Treasuries plunged to historic lows on Friday as fears the outbreak will slam the global economy drove investors to snap up risk-adverse assets and dump equities, overshadowing data highlighting a strong US labour market.
MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe shed 1.87 per cent and emerging market stocks lost 2.43 per cent.
LONDON/LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) –
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How lethal is the coronavirus? Experts differ over disease’s death rate
SINGAPORE – As the world enters its third month of grappling with the fast-spreading coronavirus, one question that has dogged governments and medical practitioners is exactly how dangerous the new disease is.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) this week put the Covid-19 global death rate at about 3.4 per cent – far higher than the seasonal flu’s 0.1 per cent – but US President Donald Trump has cast doubt on its accuracy.
READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/how-lethal-is-the-coronavirus-experts-differ-over-diseases-death-rate
The epidemic has infected more than 98,000 people worldwide and killed over 3,300 as of Friday afternoon
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THE EPICENTER: CHINA
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Mainland China has seen more than 3,000 deaths, but the epidemic is now spreading faster elsewhere. The death toll in Italy, which has suffered Europe’s worst outbreak, rose to 197.
About 3.4 per cent of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus – known as Covid-19 – have died, far above seasonal flu’s fatality rate of under 1 per cent, the WHO said this week.
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ASEAN
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BRUNEI- MoH introduces public health measures
With the COVID-19 epidemic spreading around the world, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has introduced a public health measure known as self-isolation for travellers returning from high-risk countries or areas, known as Category A countries (including mainland China, Iran, Italy and South Korea) or areas to prevent and control the disease in Brunei Darussalam. Self-isolation is about protecting others and slowing down the spread of COVID-19. It is very important that anyone who has the virus, or might have been exposed to it, limits the number of people they come into contact with for 14 days. This is the most effective way of preventing the coronavirus from spreading, the ministry stated in a release yesterday.
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VIENTIANE- Laos has no coronavirus, deputy minister assures foreign diplomats
Laos is still free from the coronavirus even though the deadly Covid-19 has now spread to some 79 countries, Deputy Minister of Health, Associate Prof. Dr Phouthone Muongpak, told foreign diplomats yesterday.
The ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held a meeting to brief foreign diplomats and representatives of international organisations on the current situation and the measures Laos is taking to prevent and control the virus.
READ MORE: http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/freeContent/FreeConten_Laos_has_47.php
But anyone showing Covid-19 flu-like symptoms at a port of entry will be taken directly to a hospital for diagnosis. Health authorities have tightened scanning procedures in an attempt to prevent the virus entering Laos. They have also told foreign airlines to take the temperature of their pilots, flight attendants and passengers before flying to Laos.
By Souksakhone Vaenkeo
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PETALING JAYA, Malaysia- Major spike in Malaysia as 28 new cases recorded.
PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Twenty-eight new Covid-19 cases were recorded on Friday (March 6) in Malaysia, bringing the total number to 83.
In a tweet on Friday, the Health Ministry said of the total number, 23 patients have recovered and were discharged.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the new cases include patients-under-investigation (PUI), close contacts and those involved in humanitarian aid missions to combat the effects of the disease.
READ NORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/coronavirus-major-spike-in-malaysia-as-28-new-cases-recorded
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KUALA LUMPUR- Agong wants public to help KKM battle Covid-19
KUALA LUMPUR: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today called on Malaysians to do their part in assisting the Health Ministry in addressing the spread of Covid-19 infections in the country.
In a statement issued today, Istana Negara’s Comptroller of the Royal Household, Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, said the Agong had expressed his concern over the 28 new cases of the coronavirus reported in the country yesterday.
READ MORE: https://www.thesundaily.my/local/agong-wants-public-to-help-kkm-battle-covid-19-AH2090507
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MANILA- 5th confirmed coronavirus case in PH a ‘local transmission,’ says WHO
Local transmission is defined as the transfer of the virus that causes the disease in a local geographical setting. /Consuelo Marquez – Reporter
Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO’s representative in the Philippines, however, clarified that the case will not be a widespread contamination for now, as long as contact tracing is still being conducted.
READ MORE: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1237922/fifth-covid-19-case-in-ph-considered-local-transmission-who
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Earlier, the health department said the fifth patient who tested positive for COVID-19 is a 62-year-old Filipino and was a regular visitor at a Muslim prayer hall in Barangay Greenhills in San Juan City.
The WHO official however said it would be “overreacting” if people will stop going to prayer halls.
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MANILA- 5th coronavirus patient in PH once admitted in San Juan hospital
Facade of the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan, which admitted to have initially treated the fifth case of COVID-19 in the Philippines. Screengrab from CSMC Facebook page../By: Consuelo Marquez –
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MANILA, Philippines — The Cardinal Santos Medical Center (CSMC) disclosed Friday that the fifth patient who tested positive for the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was once treated at their hospital.
The Department of Health (DOH) earlier refused to disclose the name of the hospital where the fifth case of COVID-19 was first treated, though it admitted that the hospital was based in San Juan City.
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MANILA- Philippines records 2 new confirmed coronavirus cases
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday reported two new confirmed cases of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that brought the total number of confirmed cases in the country to five.
In a press conference, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the first new case is that of a 48-year-old Filipino man whose samples tested positive for COVID-19. The patient has a travel history to Japan, the DOH said.
Duque said the patient became symptomatic after experiencing “chills and fever” on Feb. 25 which prompted the latter to seek hospital treatment./ Consuelo Marquez – Reporter
READ MORE: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1237752/breaking-philippines-records-2-new-confirmed-covid-19-cases
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MANILA- Garin ‘strongly discourages’ discrimination vs suspected coronavirus patients
MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker on Friday said discrimination against those suspected to be positive for the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) should be “strongly discouraged.”
Former Health Secretary and now Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin said it is now the time for the public to unite and support each other especially after the confirmation of the two new cases of COVID-19 in the country./ By: Neil Arwin Mercado – Reporter
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SINGAPORE- 13 new Covid-19 cases in S’pore, including 9 linked to Safra Jurong dinner, and an SIA steward
SINGAPORE – Thirteen new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Singapore, nine of them linked to a dinner at Safra Jurong on Feb 15, the Ministry of Health said on Friday (March 6).
Two others are believed to be imported cases, one linked to a previous case, and the last with no known links yet.
Singapore reported 13 new infections on Friday, its biggest daily jump, including a Singapore Airlines cabin crew member.
READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/13-new-covid-19-cases-in-spore-including-9-linked-to-safra-jurong-dinner-and-an-sia
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BANGKOK- No compulsory self-quarantine in Thailand for visitors from high-risk areas
BANGKOK – Thailand’s health ministry said on Friday (March 6) that those arriving from coronavirus-hit places, including Singapore, do not have to quarantine themselves, clarifying conflicting statements issued earlier this week.
Countries on Thailand’s watchlist include severely-affected nations China, South Korea, Italy and Iran as well as other countries like Switzerland, Netherlands, the US and Spain.
READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/coronavirus-no-compulsory-self-quarantine-in-thailand-for-visitors-from-high-risk-areas
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HÀ NỘI – Woman in Hà Nội tests positive for SARS-CoV-2
HÀ NỘI – A 27-year-old woman in Hà Nội tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after returning from Europe, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology confirmed on Friday night.
Nguyễn Hồng Nhung, hotel manager, was reported to have arrived in London on February 16 to visit her family and travelled to Milan, Italy two days later.
On February 20, she returned to London and took a train to Paris five days later, met her older sister who was confirmed to test positive for the virus and came back to London on February 26.
READ MORE: https://vietnamnews.vn/society/653237/woman-in-ha-noi-tests-positive-for-sars-cov-2.html
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ASIA-AUSTRALIA
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TOKYO, Japan- Chinese billionaire Jack Ma donates 1 million masks to coronavirus-hit Japan
HANGZHOU (CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – One of China’s richest men, Internet guru Jack Ma, co-founder of Hangzhou-based e-commerce giant Alibaba, has donated one million facial masks to Japan.
He said this was in return for the generous help Japan gave China when the country was hit severely by coronavirus 20 days ago.
READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/chinese-billionaire-jack-ma-donates-1-million-masks-to-coronavirus-hit-japan
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SEOUL- South Korea to void visas of Japanese visitors in virus retaliation
SEOUL: Seoul suspended a visa-waiver programme for Japanese nationals Friday in retaliation for what it called an “irrational” plan by Tokyo to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, escalating a diplomatic row over their containment measures.
The two countries have close economic ties and are both major US allies, democracies and market economies faced with a rising China and nuclear-armed North Korea.
But their relationship continues to be heavily affected by Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945 – a dispute that escalated into a trade and security row last year.
READ MORE: https://www.thesundaily.my/world/south-korea-to-void-visas-of-japanese-visitors-in-virus-retaliation-XH2090213
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AMERICA
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WASHINGTON- US President Donald Trump cancels visit to CDC at last minute
WASHINGTON (NYTIMES) – US President Donald Trump at the last minute scrapped plans to visit the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on Friday (March 6), forgoing a chance to tour the nerve centre of the response to the coronavirus outbreak.
As late as 8.30pm on Thursday, Vice-President Mike Pence indicated that the trip was still on, telling reporters travelling with him that the President would formally approve an emergency spending Bill while there.
READ MORE: ttps://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/us-president-trump-cancels-visit-to-cdc-at-last-minute
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In the United States, the world’s economic powerhouse, at least 57 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed as the virus struck for the first time in Colorado, Maryland, Tennessee and Texas, as well as San Francisco in California. Some 230 people have been infected in total and 12 have died.
More than 2,000 people were stranded on the Grand Princess cruise ship after it was barred from returning to port in San Francisco because at least 35 people aboard developed flu-like symptoms. Test kits were delivered at sea.
US President Donald Trump signed a bill allocating US$8.3 billion (S$11 billion) to bolster testing for the virus and other action.
SUPPLY CHAINS BROKEN
Moves by some major economies including the United States to cut interest rates and pledge billions of dollars to fight the epidemic have done little to allay fears about the spread of the disease and the economic fallout. Supply chains are crippled around the world, especially in China, where the outbreak began.
“There’s concern that while there has been a response from the Fed, given the nature of the problem, is this something the central bank can really help with?” said John Davies, G10 rates strategist at Standard Chartered Bank in London.
In New York, JPMorgan divided its team between central locations and a secondary site in New Jersey while Goldman Sachs sent some traders to nearby secondary offices in Greenwich, Connecticut and Jersey City.
New York’s Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.5 per cent.
More than 100,300 people have been infected globally, according to a Reuters tally based on statements from health ministries and government officials.
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EUROPE
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Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft advised employees in the Seattle area to work from home, after some caught the virus. The companies’ work-from-home recommendation will affect more than 100,000 people in the area.
Starbucks said it had stopped accepting reusable cups and thermos flasks from customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, though it will still honour the promised discount for anyone carrying one.
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BRUSSELS- EU ministers urge members to share anti-virus gear
BRUSSELS (AFP) – Smaller EU member states hit out on Friday (March 6) after Germany, France and the Czech Republic blocked the export of some medical supplies that could help slow the current coronavirus outbreak.
EU health ministers are meeting to plan a coordinated response to the epidemic, but Germany has banned exports of face masks and gloves, and France has requisitioned all its own stocks.
Some EU members – notably Italy, where at least 148 people have died – have been hit harder than others and some ministers think precious resources should be shared.
READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/eu-ministers-urge-members-to-share-anti-virus-gear
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LONDON, U.K.- London police arrest 2 teenagers linked to Covid-19 racist assault on Singaporean student
SINGAPORE – The London Metropolitan Police said on Friday (March 6) that they have arrested two teenagers linked to the coronavirus-related racist attack on Singaporean Jonathan Mok in London on Feb 24.
The police said in a statement that they arrested a 16-year-old boy on Wednesday and a 15-year-old boy on Thursday, and continued to appeal for the public’s help in identifying two other suspects.
READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/london-police-arrest-2-teenagers-linked-to-covid-19-racist-assault-on-singaporean-student
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In London, Europe’s financial capital, the Canary Wharf district was unusually quiet. S&P Global’s large office stood empty after the company sent its 1,200 staff home, while HSBC asked around 100 people to work from home after a worker tested positive for the illness.
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VATICAN CITY . ROME- Vatican reports 1st coronavirus case; death toll in US reaches 12
VIRUS IN THE HOLY SEE A few pedestrians, including a man wearing a medical mask, pass by St. Peter’s Square on Friday, when the Vatican reported its first coronavirus case. Beyond the citystate, Italy has the biggest outbreak in Europe, with 3,296 cases and 148 deaths. —AP /Agence France-Presse
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VATICAN CITY—The Vatican on Friday reported its first coronavirus case, saying it had suspended outpatient services at its health clinic after a patient tested positive for COVID-19.
Spokesperson Matteo Bruni said the clinic inside the tiny city state of 0.44 square kilometers—which has some 1,000 residents—will be deep cleaned, while the emergency room will remain open.
READ MORE: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1238041/vatican-reports-1st-virus-case-death-toll-in-us-reaches-12
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In Europe, the pan-regional STOXX 600 index fell 3.35 per cent. The travel and leisure sub-index slid 3.9 per cent.
Facebook said it was closing its London offices until Monday after a visiting employee from Singapore was diagnosed with the virus.
European stocks continued their slide after the Japanese market dropped to a six-month low, with 97 per cent of shares on the Tokyo exchange’s main board in the red.
Airline and travel stocks have been among the worst affected as people cancelled non-essential travel. Norwegian Air Shuttle , the hardest-hit stock among European carriers, lost more than quarter of its market value on Friday and has fallen almost 70 per cent since the start of February.
“If this really ramps up, we could see a lot more kitchen-sinking updates from the travel industry and airlines,” said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG.
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