Coronavirus wrap: Chinese doctor who first warned about virus outbreak dies

Coronavirus has sent ripples of fear across the world, especially in Asia. The death toll has now risen to 564 in China. Catch LIVE updates on Coronavirus outbreak

7:19 PM

Kremlin starts temperature checks at Putin events over virus fears

The Kremlin said Thursday it has begun checking the body temperature of officials and reporters attending events involving President Vladimir Putin due to coronavirus fears.

 

"This is a precautionary measure," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state news agency RIA Novosti after journalists underwent checks at the Kremlin on Thursday afternoon.

 

7:16 PM

All 645 evacuated from Wuhan test negative for coronavirus

All 645 people evacuated from China's Wuhan city, who were kept in isolation at Army Base and ITBP camps, tested negative for coronavirus, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.

 

It said that as of February 6, 1,38,750 passengers from 1,265 flights had been screened for novel coronavirus illness but no new case was detected. Read more...

6:34 PM

China opens new hospitals for virus patients

China on Thursday finished building a second new hospital to isolate and treat patients of a virus that has killed more than 560 people and continues to spread, disrupting travel and people's lives and fueling economic fears.

 

A first group of patients was expected to start testing a new antiviral drug, as China also moved people with milder symptoms into makeshift hospitals at sports centers, exhibition halls and other public spaces.

 

The health care system in the central city of Wuhan, where the outbreak was first detected in December, has been overwhelmed with the thousands of ill patients.

 

6:28 PM

Coronavirus: Central team reviews preparedness in Odisha; 26 under home surveillance

A central team on Thursday reviewed Odisha's preparedness to deal with novel coronavirus, as two persons have been quarantined in a hospital and 26 others under home surveillance in the state with suspected nCov cases, officials said here.

 

The state government has sent blood and swab samples of seven suspected coronavirus patients to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for examination and five of them have tested negative, Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) Prof CBK Mohanty said.

 

6:27 PM

19 foreign nationals in China contracting novel coronavirus: Foreign Ministry

China on Thursday said that 19 foreign nationals living in the country have been confirmed of contracting the novel coronavirus as of Thursday, but did not disclose their nationalities.

 

The death toll in China's novel coronavirus outbreak went up to 563 as 73 people died on Wednesday, the highest one-day fatalities so far, while total confirmed cases rose sharply to 28,018, Chinese health officials said on Thursday.

 

India and several other countries have evacuated hundreds of their nationals from Hubei province and its provincial capital Wuhan, which is a major international education centre. India has airlifted 647 Indians and seven Maldivian nationals.

 

5:41 PM

Two Chinese nationals admitted to hospital; no nCoV symptoms

Two Chinese nationals have been admitted to the isolation ward of the state-run Gandhi hospital here as a precautionary measure after they approached it to be tested for presence of novel coronavirus, health officials said on Thursday.

 

Their samples have been sent for testing though they did not show any symptoms of the virus, they said.

5:41 PM

UK over-reacted to coronavirus outbreak, says Chinese ambassador

Britain's advice to its nationals to leave China because of the coronavirus oubreak in Hubei province was an over-reaction, the Chinese ambassador to London said on Thursday.

 

Asked during a news conference if the Chinese authorities had been consulted about the advice, Liu Xiaoming said: "We did tell them over-reaction is not helpful. We asked them to take the advice of the WHO to make a reasonable response. Do not over-react."

 

4:55 PM

Chinese city accused of stealing virus masks from hard-hit neighbour

A Chinese city with only eight confirmed cases of a new coronavirus has been accused of intercepting a shipment of surgical masks bound for a municipality with 400 cases, prompting outrage on social media.

 

Hospitals, towns and cities across China are scrambling for supplies of equipment, in particular protective masks, as the number of cases of the coronavirus, which emerged in the central city of Wuhan in December, approaches 30,000. Nearly 600 people have died.

4:46 PM

640 Indians evacuated from coronavirus-hit China in complex operation: MEA

The government has evacuated 640 Indians from coronavirus-hit China and the complex operation was done with Beijing's assistance, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

 

MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said apart from those evacuated, 10 other Indians have indicated that they want to come back from China, but were unable to clear the health screening process.

 

"We are in regular contact with them and exploring all possibilities for their return," Kumar said.

 

4:45 PM

Air France-KLM extends China flight suspensions to March 15: Airline

Air France-KLM said Thursday that it would extend until March 15 the suspension of its flights to China, where authorities are struggling to contain a coronavirus outbreak.

 

The French-Dutch carrier had already suspended all flights to and from China until February 9 and last week began flying employees out of the country.

 

If conditions allow, it will gradually resume flights to Shanghai and Beijing starting March 16 before returning to normal schedules from March 29, including to Wuhan, the city at the epicentre of the virus outbreak, Air France-KLM said in a statement.

 

4:43 PM

Coronavirus forces delay of trade fairs, conferences

Over two dozen large trade fairs and industry conferences in China and overseas have been postponed due to travel curbs and concerns about the spread of a coronavirus, potentially disrupting billions of dollars worth of deals.

 

4:42 PM

China's biggest liquefied gas importer suspends some contracts as virus spreads

China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC), the country's biggest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), has suspended contracts with at least three suppliers amid the rapid spread of the coronavirus, two sources said on Thursday.

 

They said CNOOC, which operates nearly half the terminals in China that receive LNG, had declared force majeure, which allows companies to suspend their obligation to fulfil contracts after unexpected events such as strikes and natural disasters.

 

4:40 PM

Have evacuated 640 Indians from China, 10 others indicated they want to return but failed screening process, says MEA

4:39 PM

Global tourism takes major hit as virus halts Chinese travel

This should have been a good year for global tourism, with trade tensions gradually easing, certain economies growing and banner events like the Summer Olympics taking place in Tokyo.

 

But the viral outbreak in China has thrown the travel industry into chaos, threatening billions in losses and keeping millions of would-be travellers at home.

4:39 PM

False virus cure claims infect the internet

Gargle salt water, use herbal eyedrops, steam-clean a face mask -- false claims about how to combat a deadly coranavirus epidemic emerging out of China are flooding the internet.

 

Social media giants have promoted their strategies to combat misinformation related to the epidemic, which has claimed more than 560 lives in China and spread to 24 countries.

 

Twitter, which reported 15 million coronavirus-related tweets in January, said it had suspended auto-suggest search results that would likely produce untrustworthy content.