South Korea to launch mass coronavirus testing, U.S. pledges $1 billion
for vaccine
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[February 25, 2020]
By Hyonhee Shin and Ryan Woo
SEOUL/BEIJING (Reuters) - South Korea aims
to test more than 200,000 members of a church at the center of a surge
in coronavirus cases, as countries stepped up efforts to stop a pandemic
of the virus that emerged in China and is now spreading in Europe and
the Middle East.
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.
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.
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A man wearing a face mask rides a bike filled with food supplies in
Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Hubei
province, China February 24, 2020. REUTERS/Stringer
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.
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.
(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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