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

4:39 PM

Coronavirus could cost Australian universities 'billions'

The coronavirus outbreak could deliver a painful multi-billion-dollar hit to Australian universities, as high-paying Chinese students are forced to defer their studies, economists warned Thursday.

 

Top universities stand to lose around US$2 billion (Aus$3 billion) in fees alone, according to preliminary estimates from analysts at Standard & Poor's.

 

Under open-ended travel restrictions imposed by the government in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, non-Australian citizens or permanent residents who have been in China since February 1 are not allowed into Australia.

4:36 PM

China lodges diplomatic protests over suspension of flights by international airlines

China said on Thursday that it has lodged diplomatic protests with countries whose airlines have cancelled flights to Chinese cities alleging that they are spreading panic in the wake of deadly coronavirus.

 

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

 

4:36 PM

Extended coronavirus outbreak could lower oil demand, prices: Moody's

Global oil demand and prices will fall due to extended coronavirus outbreak, Moody's Investors Services said on Thursday.

 

"The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has reduced economic activity in China, the world's largest oil importer," it said in a note. "Estimates of the short-term reduction in global oil demand have already proved deep enough to weaken crude prices in recent days" Moody's said while a short-term demand shock in China will significantly increase oil price volatility, prices would likely rebound once the spread of coronavirus infection is contained.

3:50 PM

Coronavirus: Armed forces on alert along China, Nepal borders

The Indian armed forces are maintaining a tight vigil along the borders with China and Nepal in view of the coronavirus outbreak in China, Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) Director General Anup Banerji said on Thursday.

 

The government has sanctioned 10 research laboratories to screen and test samples of various pathogens, including the coronavirus, Lt Gen Banerji said.

 

1:25 PM

Contingency plan needed to deal with impact of coronavirus: RBI Guv Das

Raising concerns over the spread of deadly coronavirus, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Thursday suggested that a contingency plan should be prepared to deal with the impact of the virus on the economy.

 

Meanwhile, the RBI in a statement said the outbreak of coronavirus in China and its spread across geographies will impact tourist arrivals and global trade, and has triggered sell off in equity as well as crude oil markets.

 

 

1:03 PM

Coronovirus scare hits Kerala's tourism sector, triggers wave

One of the most sought after tourist destinations in Asia, "the God's Own Country" Kerala has been hit by coronavirus scare just when it was on the recovery path after the Nipah outbreak and back-to-back flood havoc in the past three years.

 

Kerala's serene beaches, tranquil stretches of backwaters, lush hill stations and exotic wildlife offer an enchanting experience to travellers worldwide and the tourism industry is a major contributor to the state's economy.

12:13 PM

India suspends visas issued to Chinese passport holders before Feb 5

As the death toll crossed over 500 in the coronavirus outbreak, immigration officials have suspended all visas issued before February 5 to all Chinese passport holders from any part of the world, apart from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

 

"All visas issued to Chinese passport holders coming from anywhere in the world, including regular (sticker) and e-visa issued before February 5, have been suspended with immediate effect," the officials said.

 

"The above restriction on travel is not applicable to the Chinese passport holders of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan," they added.

11:50 AM

Nepal-China meetings, projects delayed

Crucial meetings between the governments of Nepal and China, along with a number of Beijing-led infrastructure projects, have been delayed amid the fast-spreading novel coronavirus outbreak, a media report said on Thursday.

So far, four meetings with China have been postponed due to the outbreak, The Kathmandu Post report quoted Sushil Lamsal, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Nepali Embassy in Beijing, as saying.

10:24 AM

Coronavirus: 15 students returned home from China via Thailand, says report

Days after the Ministry of External Affairs evacuated over 600 people from China following the novel Coronavirus outbreak, the Haryana Health Department has identified 15 such people who had failed to notify the government after reaching India taking alternate routes. Read More

7:36 AM

10 more tested positive on Japanese cruise liner

Ten more people on a cruise liner in the Japanese port of Yokohama, south of Tokyo, tested positive for the coronavirus, NHK television reported citing the Japanese health ministry, bringing the total number of cases on board to 20. About 3,700 people are facing at least two weeks quarantined on the ship after an 80-year-old Hong Kong man who travelled on it late last month tested positive.

 

7:28 AM

Toll in mainland China rises to 563

The death toll from a new coronavirus in mainland China jumped by 73 to 563 on Thursday, its third consecutive record daily rise, as experts intensified efforts to find a vaccine for a disease that has shut down Chinese cities and forced thousands more into quarantine around the world.

11:21 PM

Coronavirus paralyses short-term oil, gas sales into China

Short-term sales of crude oil and liquefied natural gas into China almost ground to a halt this week as a coronavirus outbreak slowed economic activity and hurt demand and buyers pondered legal action to avoid having to honour purchase agreements, trade sources said.

 

Typically, trade would have revived after the Lunar New Year holiday at the end of January, but China has extended the break into February to try to contain the fast-spreading virus, which has claimed nearly 500 lives.

11:15 PM

Don't believe misleading messages about cure for coronavirus, says Maharashtra health minister

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday appealed people not to believe messages circulating on social media about `cure' for the coronavirus infection.

 

These messages have no scientific basis, he said.

 

A message about a concoction of garlic cloves, curry leaves and cow urine, said to be prescribed by doctors and the "health department" for treating the virus infection, is circulating on social media.

"The health department has not issued any such messages. People should not believe such misleading messages and rumors," the minister said.

11:07 PM

Auto Expo: Coronavirus may take toll on Chinese auto firms' India plans

As China struggles to contain the Wuhan-centred coronavirus outbreak, the resulting shutdown of factories and logistics hubs in the country is slowly constricting business of Chinese auto majors, which have recently entered India.

 

The consequent pressure on supply chain, in which most Chinese companies depend on the Indian market, is likely to lead to delayed deliveries for some and postpone launches for others.

10:55 PM

'Severe' hospital bed shortage at China virus epicentre: Officials

Authorities in China warned Wednesday they faced a severe shortage of hospital beds and equipment needed to treat a growing number of patients stricken by the new coronavirus, as cities far from the epicentre tightened their defences.

 

Central Hubei province reported 3,156 new infections, its biggest single-day jump in the outbreak that has spiralled into a global health emergency with cases reported in over 20 countries.