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

Four Indian crew members, who underwent tests for the coronavirus along with others still on board the cruise ship moored off the Japan coast, have tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of Indians infected with the virus on the vessel to 12, the Indian embassy said on Sunday.

Passengers showing no signs of the deadly disease started deboarding the ship, Diamond Princess, after the quarantine period ended last week.

A total of 397 new confirmed cases were reported on Friday, while 109 deaths were reported from 31 provincial-level regions, Chinese health officials said.

The viral outbreak has so far infected more than 77,000 people globally.
 

Meanwhile, China reported a sharp fall in new deaths and cases on Saturday. However, world health officials warned it was premature to make predictions about the outbreak as new infections continued to rise in other countries.

The virus, now named COVID-19, has spread to over 20 countries, including India.

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.