PHOTOS-COVID19 PANDEMIC – 12.01.2019 -Day 105: WHO- Europe now ‘epicentre’ of Covid-19 pandemic
A man wearing a protective face mask walks past a sign in Rome, Italy, March 13, 2020.PHOTO: REUTERS
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Europe now ‘epicentre’ of Covid-19 pandemic
GENEVA (AFP) – The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday (March 13) that Europe was now the “epicentre” for the global coronavirus pandemic, and warned it was impossible to know when the outbreak would peak.
“Europe has now become the epicentre of the pandemic,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a virtual press conference.
He said the continent had now “more reported cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined, apart from China.
“More cases are now being reported every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic,” he said, referring to the global numbers.
The virus, which first surfaced in China in December, has now killed more than 5,000 people, with cases around the world topping 134,000, according to an AFP tally.
Tedros said the deaths passing the 5,000 mark was “a tragic milestone”.
Maria Van Kerkhove, who heads the WHO’s emerging diseases unit, said it was not possible to predict how the pandemic will develop.
“It’s impossible for us to say when this will peak globally. We hope that it is sooner rather than later.”
Their comments came as countries in Europe and around the world put in place dramatic measures to halt the spread of the virus, including closing schools and tightening borders.
Tedros said such measures could help, but stressed that countries needed to take “a comprehensive approach.”
“Not testing alone. Not contact tracing alone. Not quarantine alone. Not social distancing alone. Do it all,” he said.
He stressed the need to do more to “detect, protect and treat” cases.
“You can’t fight a virus if you don’t know where it is,” he said, calling on countries to “find, isolate, test and treat every case, to break the chains of transmission”.
“Every case we find and treat limits the expansion of the disease,” he said.
“Do not just let this fire burn.
“Any country that looks at the experience of other countries with large epidemics and thinks ‘that won’t happen to us’ is making a deadly mistake.”
Michael Ryan, who heads the WHO’s emergencies programme, stressed that so-called social distancing measures, including banning public gatherings and school closures, “are not a panecea”.
“They are not going to stop this” on their own, he said.
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Some world leaders infected, others in self-isolation over potential exposure
The coronavirus that is spreading around the world has reached the highest levels of government, with several countries reporting that their top figures are now confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus that causes the Covid-19 respiratory disease. Meanwhile, officials in some countries are putting themselves in self-isolation after possible exposure to the virus. Here are some of the prominent figures affected.
CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU
Mr Trudeau, 48, is isolating himself for two weeks after his wife, Sophie, tested positive on Thursday night (March 12) following her return from the UK. Mrs Trudeau was tested for the virus after she developed a low-grade fever that has since passed. Some members of Mr Trudeau’s Cabinet are also in isolation as a precaution.
AUSTRALIAN HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER PETER DUTTON
Mr Dutton, 49, confirmed on Friday that he had tested positive for the Sars-Cov2 virus after waking up with a temperature and a sore throat and was admitted to the hospital. According to a spokesman, Mr Dutton had attended a meeting in Sydney on Tuesday with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and other Cabinet members for a few hours.
ROMANIAN INTERIM PRIME MINISTER LUDOVIC ORBAN
Romanian interim prime minister Ludovic Orban, 56, said on Friday that he and his entire Cabinet would quarantine themselves after coming into contact with a senator from his party who was later confirmed to have the coronavirus. Mr Orban and his ministers will all be tested for the virus.
BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT JAIR BOLSONARO
Mr Bolsonaro, 64, who met with President Donald Trump in the United States less than a week ago, has tested negative for coronavirus, a post on his Facebook page said on Friday (March 13). He was tested for the virus after his communications secretary, Mr Fabio Wajngarten, was confirmed to be infected following a trip they took last weekend to the US. During that trip, both Mr Wajngarten and Mr Bolsonaro met US President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence at Mr Trump’s Florida resort.
US PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AND VICE-PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE
Both Mr Trump, 73, and Mr Pence, 60, attended a dinner at the Florida meeting with the Brazilian delegation last Saturday. Mr Trump was seen in one photograph standing directly next to Mr Wajngarten. The White House said both leaders had “almost no interactions” with Mr Wajngarten and that they “do not require being tested at this time”.
PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE
Mr Duterte (74) tested negative for COVID-19, Senator Christopher Lawrence Go said on Friday (March 13).
Duterte, and his longtime aide, Go, were tested for COVID-19 on Thursday after they attended on March 5 an event where a coronavirus-positive person attended. Both tested negative. At least six Cabinet ministers, 16 lawmakers, six Manila mayors and the central bank governor are now under self-quarantine as a precaution.
ALI AKBAR VELAYATI, TOP ADVISER TO IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI
Mr Velayati, 74, was placed under quarantine after experiencing “mild symptoms” of the new coronavirus, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday.
SPANISH EQUALITY MINISTER IRENE MONTERO, 32, AND SECOND DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER PABLO IGLESIAS, 41
Ms Montero, 32, said she had tested positive late Wednesday, three days after appearing at a mass march of some 120,000 people through Madrid for International Women’s Day. She and her partner Pablo Iglesias, 41, have gone into quarantine while all government ministers have been tested for the virus.
BRITISH HEALTH MINISTER NADINE DORRIES
The 62-year-old junior health minister revealed on Tuesday that she had been diagnosed with Covid-19 and is in self-isolation. She is reported to have met hundreds of people in Parliament in the past week and attended a reception with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
FRENCH CULTURE MINISTER FRANCK RIESTER
Mr Riester, 46, said on Monday he had tested positive for the virus after having flu-like symptoms. He attended a Cabinet meeting on March 4 that was chaired by President Emmanuel Macron and Parliament sessions last week, where at least five lawmakers have tested positive.
NICOLA ZINGARETTI, LEADER OF THE ITALIAN COALITION GOVERNMENT’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Mr Zingaretti, 54, said on Saturday he had tested positive for the coronavirus and is self-isolating at home. Some members of Italy’s Parliament have also been quarantined.
FORMER NATO SECRETARY GENERAL JAVIER SOLANA
Former Nato secretary-general Javier Solana, 77, was admitted to hospital after testing positive for coronavirus, adding that his health was evolving positively and that he had been put under observation as a precaution. Solana, served as Nato secretary general from 1995-1999, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs from 1999-2009 and was Spain’s foreign minister under Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez form 1992-1995.
SOURCE: REUTERS, NYTIMES, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, XINHUA
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COVID 19 EPICENTER:
WUHAN CITY, HUBEI PROVINCE, CHINA
/ EUROPE NOW COVID-19 EPICENTRE- WHO
Mainland China reports 11 new coronavirus cases on March 13
BEIJING (REUTERS) – Mainland China had 11 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on March 13, the country’s National Health Commission said on Saturday (March 14), up from eight cases a day earlier.
That brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 80,824.
The death toll from the outbreak in mainland China had reached 3,189 as of the end of Friday, up by 13 from the previous day. All of the latest deaths were in the central province of Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak, and 10 of them were in Hubei’s provincial capital of Wuhan.
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ASEAN
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BRUNEI- 12 new COVID-19 cases, 37 in total
Brunei Darussalam recorded 12 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, which included a two-year-old girl, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 37. From the new cases, 11 are related to the cluster of the Tabligh religious group who were in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia including the participants’ close contacts. Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohammad Isham bin Haji Jaafar made the announcement during a press conference on the updates of COVID-19 in the country at the ministry’s Al-‘Afiah Hall yesterday.
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PHNOM PENH- Cambodia bans entries of foreigners from five countries
The government has announced an entry ban of foreigners from Italy, Germany, Spain, France, and the United States for a period of 30 days to prevent the possible spread of covid-19.
According to a Health Ministry statement issued today, the ban takes effect from Tuesday, March 17, 2020.
The ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine declined to give further details.
In a separate statement, the ministry also decided to temporarily close the Canadian International School, which is situated in Koh Pich after a Canadian man tested positive for Covid-19.
Ms Vandine said the closure will allow health officials to clean the school while teachers and students will continue self-monitoring.
READ MORE: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50701595/cambodia-bans-entries-of-foreigners-from-five-countries
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VIENTIANE, Laos- Avoid hiring foreign workers from outbreak areas: labour ministry
Employers in Laos should avoid hiring new foreign nationals from areas or cities where the coronavirus has been reported, authorities have advised
The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare on Wednesday issued an announcement asking employers to follow the new rules imposed to regulate workers, in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Before entering Laos, overseas workers must have their temperature checked at ports of entry and undergo any other checks imposed by the authorities.
READ MORE: http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/freeContent/FreeConten_Avoid_52.php
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JAKARTA- Indonesia’s Covid-19 Cases Jump to 69 With Four Deaths
President Joko Widodo, second from left, accompanied by Istiqlal Grand Mosque Imam Nasaruddin Umar, third from left, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir, left, Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto, second from right, and Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi, right, look on as health officials spray disinfectant inside the mosque in Central Jakarta on Friday. (B1 Photo/Joanito De Saojoao)
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Jakarta. The Indonesian government announced on Friday four Covid-19 patients have died as the number of confirmed cases in the country jumped to 69, an increase of 35 cases over the last two days.
Achmad Yurianto, the government’s spokesman on the coronavirus outbreak, said the fatalities included three women and a man aged between 37 and 59 years old.
READ MORE: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesias-covid19-cases-jump-to-69-with-four-deaths
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KUALA LUMPUR- 39 new Covid-19 cases in Malaysia brings total to 197
KUALA LUMPUR: Thirty-nine new Covid-19 cases were reported in the country as at noon yesterday, bringing cumulative cases to 197, said Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
He said of the new cases, 38 were from among the Patient-under-Investigation (PUI) category while the other contracted the coronavirus through close contact.
Four of the cases required ventilator support and were being treated at the intensive care unit with anti-viral treatment administered, he noted.
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READ MORE: https://www.thesundaily.my/local/39-new-covid-19-cases-in-malaysia-brings-total-to-197-CD2126488
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RANGON- Myanmar hunkers down against COVID-19
The Myanmar government and the private sector on Friday have joined hands to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, instituting measures aimed at preventing the dreaded disease from entering the country and mitigating its impact on the lives of the people.
The Office of the President prohibited huge gatherings, including the Thingyan Festival, the most celebrated in the country, to ramp up measures in the fight against the disease.
The ban in celebrating festivals and holding public events started on Friday up to April 30, the President’s Office said.
READ MORE: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmar-hunkers-down-against-covid-19.html
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MANILA- Disease infects PH diplomat in UN first case
A Philippine diplomat in New York has tested positive for the new (COVID-19) in the first recorded case at United Nations headquarters in the city, diplomatic sources said on Thursday.
The diplomat, who had last visited the UN on Monday, showed symptoms of flu the following day and saw a doctor.“She got the call today that she tested positive for COVID-19,” said a letter from the Philippine mission.
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“As of today, the Philippine mission is in lockdown, and all personnel are instructed to self-quarantine,” said the letter.Also on Friday, classes in all levels were suspended in Batangas on Friday after the province confirmed its first COVID-19 case, a person who had a history of travel to London.In announcing the class suspension,
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Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas said the province needed to protect the welfare of its residents, especially its youth. No details about the patient were released.Meanwhile, Mayor Joy Belmonte on Friday declared a state of calamity in Quezon City, which has five confirmed coronavirus cases.
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SINGAPORE- S’pore rolls out more measures including limiting, where possible, size of gatherings to 250 people; workplace distancing
SINGAPORE – Singapore on Friday (March 13) announced sweeping new measures to contain the import of Covid-19 cases as well as stem the spread in the Republic.
They cover more border restrictions and social distancing measures including limiting the size of gatherings to 250 people.
READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/covid-19-singapore-rolls-out-more-measures-including-limiting-where-possible-the
The WHO cited Singapore as a country that has already taken proactive measures to contain the virus.
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BANGKOK, Thailand- Doctors issue Stage-3 warning
Nation ‘not equipped’ for full-on epidemic
An association of chest physicians is calling on the government to prepare for Covid-19 to become a “Stage 3”, full-blown epidemic in Thailand while slamming the authorities’ slow response to the spread of the disease.
On its Facebook page, the Thoracic Society of Thailand issued an emotionally charged statement warning that the country might not be equipped to deal with a drastic escalation in the number of cases.
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READ MORE: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1878380/doctors-issue-stage-3-warning
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HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam denies entry from UK and Schengen countries over COVID-19, starting March 15
HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s foreign ministry announced today the country will suspend entries for tourists from countries in the Schengen area or the UK starting March 15, in light of the spike of coronavirus cases and deaths in European nations, sparking concern they might be the next epicentre of the outbreak.
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READ MORE: https://vietnamnews.vn/society/653607/viet-nam-denies-entry-from-uk-and-schengen-countries-over-covid-19-starting-march-15.html
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ASIA-PACIFIC AUSTRALIA
SEOUL- South Korea reports 107 new coronavirus cases, total 8,086
SEOUL (REUTERS) – South Korea reported more recoveries from the coronavirus than new infections on Saturday (March 14) for the second day is a row, as a downward trend in daily cases raised hopes that Asia’s biggest epidemic outside China may be slowing.
The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) recorded 107 new coronavirus cases on Saturday compared with 110 a day earlier, taking the national tally to 8,086.
In contrast, 204 patients were released from hospitals where they had been isolated for treatment.
READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/south-korea-reports-107-new-coronavirus-cases-total-8086
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MIDDLE EAST
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TEHRAN- Iran security forces to empty city streets, highest single-day death toll of 85 reported
TEHERAN (AFP) – Iranian forces will clear the streets nationwide within 24 hours and all citizens will be checked for the new coronavirus in a bid to halt its spread, the military said on Friday (March 13).
A newly formed commission has been charged with overseeing the “emptying of shops, streets and roads” within that timeframe, armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri said.
“During the next 10 days, the entire Iranian nation will be monitored once through cyberspace, by phone and, if necessary, in person, and those suspected of being ill will be fully identified.”
READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/coronavirus-iran-reports-85-new-deaths-highest-single-day-toll
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Iran security forces to empty city streets, highest single-day death toll of 85 reported
TEHERAN (AFP) – Iranian forces will clear the streets nationwide within 24 hours and all citizens will be checked for the new coronavirus in a bid to halt its spread, the military said on Friday (March 13).
A newly formed commission has been charged with overseeing the “emptying of shops, streets and roads” within that timeframe, armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri said.
“During the next 10 days, the entire Iranian nation will be monitored once through cyberspace, by phone and, if necessary, in person, and those suspected of being ill will be fully identified.”
AMERICA
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U.N., NEW YORK, USA- Disease infects PH diplomat in UN first case
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WASHINGTON, USA- ‘150M Americans could get COVID’
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EUROPE
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MADRID- Spain declares emergency as coronavirus shuts down parades, schools, shops
MADRID (REUTERS) – Major Spanish regions shut shops, bars and restaurants, car plants ground to a halt and Easter parades were cancelled as Spain prepared to enter a 15-day state of emergency on Friday (March 13), in a sharp escalation of its fight against the coronavirus.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the number of cases could top 10,000 by next week – more than double the current level – and asked citizens to play their part.
“Heroism is also washing your hands and staying home,” Sanchez said in a televised address to the nation on Friday.
Spain has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in Europe after Italy.
The current Spanish tally stands at 4,231, up about 1,000 cases from Thursday. About 120 people have died.
READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/spain-to-declare-state-of-emergency-over-coronavirus-pm-sanchez
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LONDON- UK says coronavirus needs to infect 60% of Britons to build ‘herd immunity’ and save lives
LONDON (BLOOMBERG) – The UK government is battling criticism of a coronavirus plan that blends blunt talk of the pandemic’s toll with modest steps that fall far short of measures taken in other countries.
Mr Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, said in broadcast interviews on Friday (March 13) that the infection rate could hit 60 per cent of the British population, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that “many more” families will lose loved ones.
READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/uk-says-virus-needs-to-infect-60-of-britons-to-save-lives
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