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

7:05 PM

5 persons kept under observation in Haryana test negative for coronavirus

Five people kept under observation for suspected symptoms of coronavirus in Haryana have tested negative for the infection, state health department officials said on Wednesday.

 

The test reports of another two are awaited, they said. 

 

These five are among 133 people from Haryana who had recently travelled to China and are under observation even though they have been found to be asymptomatic, the officials said.

6:58 PM

Virus situation in China's Wuhan still severe, says city official

The coronavirus situation in the Chinese city of Wuhan is still severe and the city faces many challenges, Wuhan's vice party chief Hu Lishan said on Wednesday.

 

Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, has quarantined people in hotels, schools and private hospitals.

 

There are 132 such centres with 12,571 beds available as of Tuesday, Hu told a news conference.

6:56 PM

Adidas closes 'considerable' number of stores in China due to coronavirus

German sportswear company Adidas on Wednesday said it was temporarily shutting a "considerable" number of its stores in China due to the coronavirus outbreak which has killed nearly 500 people and infected thousands.

 

The company said the fast-spreading virus was having a negative impact on its business but added that it could not yet assess to what extent.

Adidas has around 12,000 outlets in China, including franchise stores.

 

6:50 PM

Thousands of Chinese tourists stranded in Bali after flights suspended

Thousands of Chinese tourists risk being stranded in Bali after the Indonesian government suspended flights to and from mainland China over fears of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

 

With flights to be suspended at midnight Wednesday, at least 5,000 Chinese tourists are currently on the holiday island, according to Gou Haodong, the Chinese Consul General in Denpasar.

6:48 PM

Wuhan for long a popular destination for medical aspirants from Kerala

Wuhan may have become a household name after the outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus but the historic Chinese city has been a much sought after education hub for Kerala medical aspirants for long with affordable and quality courses being the prime attraction.

 

While there is no official data on the number of Kerala students studying in the Asian nation, unoffcial estimates put it around 500.

 

An official said only after the virus scare the government learnt about a sizable number of students studying in Chinese universities.

 

6:27 PM

Coronavirus is 'new layer of uncertainty' for economy: ECB's Lagarde

The spread of the novel coronavirus in China and beyond presents "a new layer of uncertainty" for the European economy, European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde said Wednesday.

 

"While the threat of a trade war between the United States and China appears to have receded, the coronavirus adds a new layer of uncertainty," Lagarde said at a speech in Paris, putting the disease on the same level as "global risks" such as trade tensions and geopolitical flashpoints.

6:09 PM

Baby tests positive for China virus just 30 hours after birth

A baby in China's epidemic-hit Wuhan city has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus just 30 hours after being born, Chinese state media reported Wednesday.

 

The infant is the youngest person recorded as being infected by the virus, which has killed nearly 500 people since emerging late last year.

6:06 PM

'Chest X-ray scan features that may help diagnose coronavirus revealed'

In a first, researchers have described the chest X-ray scan features that may aid in the early detection and diagnosis of the novel Chinese coronavirus which has so far killed nearly 500 people in China.

 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus that has been temporarily named, the "novel coronavirus" (2019-nCoV) causes respiratory illness resembling viral pneumonia, resulting in fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

6:01 PM

Three businessmen contract coronavirus after Singapore business conference: Asian officials

At least three Asian businessmen who attended an international conference at a Singapore hotel have contracted the coronavirus, Malaysian and South Korean authorities said on Wednesday.

 

The cases indicate the virus is now spreading through human-to-human contact outside China.

6:00 PM

China virus puts cruise ships in quarantine, hits carmakers, airlines and Airbus

Thousands of passengers and crew on two cruise ships in Asian waters were placed in quarantine for China's coronavirus on Wednesday as airlines, car manufacturers and other global companies counted the cost of the fast-spreading outbreak.

 

China said another 65 people had died as of Tuesday, the highest daily total yet, taking the overall toll on the mainland to 490, most in and around the locked-down central city of Wuhan, where the virus emerged late last year.

5:57 PM

Toddler among two hospitalised in MP for suspected coronavirus

Two persons, including a two- year-old boy, were admitted to a hospital here on Wednesday for possible exposure to novel coronavirus, an official said.

 

According to the official, both of them had recently returned to India from different cities in China, where the deadly infection has so far claimed the lives of 490 people.

5:56 PM

Prices of chips, display panels to shoot up

The spread of coronavirus in China is likely to push up prices of semiconductors and display panels, analysts said on Wednesday, amid possible supply chain disruptions of key industrial materials.

 

China, where the outbreak originated, is home to manufacturing facilities of many of South Korea's major tech firms, including Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc.

5:54 PM

Chinese lab claims patent for US drug to treat coronavirus patients

A research institute in China's virus-hit Wuhan city has applied for a patent on the use of a drug made in the US after it was found to be effective in treating patients infected with the coronavirus, raising questions whether the lab's move violated the intellectual property rights.

 

As the coronavirus strain officially named as 2019 n-CoV wreaked havoc in China and abroad, there is a race to develop a viable medicine to treat an increasing number of cases as well as a vaccine to prevent its spread.

5:43 PM

Kerala tackling nCoV with experience drawn from fighting Nipah

Faced with the challenges posed by the novel Coronavirus (nCoV), the Kerala government is banking on its experience gleaned from fighting the deadly Nipah outbreak in 2018 and 2019 to effectively tackle the current situation.

 

Activating its officials, doctors and field staff to face the challenge much before the state's first Coronavirus case was reported from Thrissur last week, the state health department has put all persons who have returned from nCoV-hit China under its surveillance since January 15.

5:28 PM

WHO: 'No known effective' treatments for new coronavirus

The World Health Organization played down media reports on Wednesday of "breakthrough" drugs being discovered to treat people infected with the new coronavirus which is causing an epidemic in China and has spread to at least 20 other countries.

 

A Chinese TV report said that a research team at Zhejiang University had found an effective drug for the virus, while Britain's Sky News said researchers had made a "significant breakthrough" in developing a vaccine.