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More than 80,000 people have been infected in China since the
outbreak began, apparently in an illegal wildlife market in the
central city of Wuhan late last year.
China's death toll was 2,663 by the end of Monday, up 71 from the
previous day. But the World Health Organization (WHO) has said the
epidemic in China peaked between Jan. 23 and Feb. 2 and has been
declining since.
However, fast-spreading outbreaks in Iran, Italy and South Korea,
and first cases in several Middle East countries, have fed worries
of a pandemic, or worldwide spread of the virus.
"We are close to a pandemic, but there is still hope the epidemics
in Iran, Italy, South Korea, etc. can be controlled," said Raina
MacIntyre, head of the Biosecurity Program at the Kirby Institute at
the University of New South Wales.
South Korea has the most virus cases outside China and reported its
tenth death and 144 new cases, for a total of 977. President Moon
Jae-in said the situation was "very grave".
In Europe, Italy has become a new front line, with 220 cases
reported on Monday, up from just three on Friday. The death toll in
Italy is seven.
Global stock markets stabilized on Tuesday after a wave of early
selling petered out and Wall Street futures managed a solid bounce
after a sharp selloff the previous day on fears about the spreading
coronavirus.
"If travel restrictions and supply chain disruptions spread, the
impact on global growth could be more widespread and longer
lasting," said Jonas Goltermann, senior economist at research
consultancy Capital Economics in London.
(Live blog: Online site for coronavirus news - https://www.reuters.com/live-events/coronavirus-6-id2921484)
PUBLIC ANXIETY
About 68% of South Korea's cases are linked to the Shincheonji
Church of Jesus, where the outbreak is believed to have begun with a
61-year-old woman. It is not known how she became infected.
The church said it would provide authorities the names of all its
members in South Korea, estimated by media at about 215,000 people.
The government would test them all as soon as possible, the prime
minister's office said.
"It is essential to test all of the church members," it said in a
statement. Authorities said they were testing up to 13,000 people a
day.
The U.S. and South Korean militaries have said they may cut back
joint training due to the virus, in one of the first concrete signs
of its fallout on global U.S. military activities.
The disclosure came during a visit to the Pentagon on Monday by
South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, who said 13 South
Korean troops had the virus. (Graphic: Tracking the novel
coronavirus - https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-MAP/0100B59S39E/index.html)
[to top of second column] |
The U.S. military said a woman who tested positive for the virus had visited one
of its bases in the hard-hit city of Daegu. It was the first infection connected
to U.S. Forces Korea, which has about 28,500 American troops on the peninsula.
The U.S. military urged troops to "use extreme caution" off base, while the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Americans should avoid
non-essential travel to South Korea.
IRAN ISOLATION
Outside mainland China, the outbreak has spread to about 29 countries and
territories, with a death toll of about three dozen, according to a Reuters
tally.
Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and Oman reported their first new coronavirus
cases, all in people who had been to Iran where the toll was 14 dead, media
said, and 61 infected.
The outbreak threatens to isolate Iran further. The United Arab Emirates, which
has 13 virus cases, suspended all flights with Iran for at least a week, state
media said.
Iraq extended an entry ban on travelers from China and Iran to those from five
other countries over virus fears, its health ministry said. (Reuters graphics on
the new coronavirus - https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-GRAPHICS/0100B5CD3DP/index.html)
In Japan, which has reported four deaths and 850 cases mostly linked to a cruise
ship, Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said it was too early to talk about
cancelling the Tokyo Olympics due to start on July 24.
The United States pledged $2.5 billion to fight the disease, with more than $1
billion going toward developing a vaccine, with other funds earmarked for
therapeutics and the stockpiling of personal protective equipment such as masks.
China reported a rise in new cases in Hubei province, the epicenter of the
outbreak. But excluding those, China had just nine new infections on Monday, its
fewest since Jan. 20.
With the pace of new infections slowing, Beijing said restrictions on travel and
movement that have paralyzed economic activity should begin to be lifted.
"Low-risk areas ... are to restore order in production and life, cancel
transport restrictions and help enterprises," state planner official Ou Xiaoli
told a briefing.
[Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-MAP/0100B59S39E/index.html]
(Reporting by Ryan Woo, Yilei Sun and Lusha Zhang in Beijing; Hyonhee Shin and
Josh Smith in Seoul; Jeff Mason and Phil Stewart in Washington; Writing by
Michael Perry and Robert Birsel; Editing by Stephen Coates & Simon
Cameron-Moore)
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