Health officials worldwide urge calm amid rigorous Chinese battle against coronavirus
The new coronavirus killed more than 630 people and spread around the world. The latest figures from China show there are over 30,000 people infected in the country. Outside mainland China, there have been more than 320 infections reported in nearly 30 other places.
HEALTH officials from around the globe have cautioned against unnecessary panic and overreaction amid swift and effective measures by the Chinese authorities to curb the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Bangladeshi Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said Beijing's relentless efforts and time-befitting strategies helped the entire world prepare well to deal with the novel coronavirus.
The actions taken by the Chinese government were effective from the very beginning, he said. "Things are not beyond control due to China's all-out efforts."
Costa Rican Health Minister Daniel Salas has lauded China's "responsible" and "transparent" manner in handling the outbreak.
The Chinese authorities "have been quite responsible in terms of undertaking the measures to contain (the virus)," Salas told Xinhua.
"Managing so many people is a real challenge. They have been handling it and it is laudable that they have been very transparent with the WHO," he said, stressing that Costa Rica has no plans to close its borders to anyone as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The virus' low mortality rate does not justify such a drastic measure, said the health minister.
The WHO said Tuesday that the novel coronavirus epidemic has not become a pandemic but an outbreak with multiple foresides.
The reason behind that judgment is that 78 per cent of cases in China so far have come from Hubei province, which is the epicenter of the outbreak, Dr Sylvie Briand, director of the Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness at WHO, said at a briefing in Geneva.
Dr Briand said that the Chinese authority has put in place "mitigation measures" to reduce the transmission to outside Hubei, and also been building hospitals to treat patients and reduce mortality.
While outside Hubei and in other countries, the current strat egy is to stop the transmission. The WHO believes that strategy can be done, said Dr. Briand. She urged efforts to fend off "info-demic," or rumors and false information circulating at the same time, which Dr. Briand said could hamper measures to combat the virus.
Wuhan combs communities to leave no coronavirus patient unattended
Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, is combing communities to ensure every confirmed or suspected patient is located and attended to as a senior official vowed to nail any official deserter "to history's pillar of shame."
A conference on epidemic control on Thursday ordered the megacity with a population of over 10 million to make all-out efforts to locate patients confirmed or suspected to be infected with the virus, close contacts of confirmed cases, as well as patients with fever.
Once identified, these people must be treated in a timely manner or placed in quarantine, the conference said, adding that "no family or individual shall be neglected."
Hong Kong unveils virus quarantine plans
Hong Kong on Friday said it will deploy an army of volunteers to bolster plans to forcibly quarantine all arrivals from mainland China, warning that anyone caught breaching the new rules faces up to six months prison.
In a major escalation of its battle against the new coronavirus, the international finance hub has said anyone arriving from the mainland from Saturday will have to undergo 14 days compulsory quarantine. Officials hope the new measures will virtually halt all cross-border traffic while allowing the city to remain stocked with food and goods from the mainland where the virus has killed more than 600 people.
Death of Chinese doctor fuels anger
The death of a whistleblowing doctor whose early warnings about China's new coronavirus outbreak were suppressed by the police has unleashed a wave of anger at the government's handling of the crisis -- and bold demands for more freedom.
Ophthalmologist Li Wenliang was among a group of people who sounded the alarm about the virus in late December, only to be reprimanded and censored by the authorities in central Hubei province.
After Li's death was confirmed early Friday, the 34-yearold was lionised as a hero on social media, while officials were vilified for letting the epidemic spiral into a national health crisis instead of listening to the doctor.
Thai warns 'Western' tourists
Thailand's health minister lashed out at "Western" tourists on Friday for not wearing face masks and suggested they be expelled from the country for putting others at risk during the coronavirus outbreak.
The outburst came as the kingdom faced steep losses over a drop in visitors from China, where the virus has killed more than 600 people and prompted sweeping travel restrictions.
Tourism accounts for 18 percent of the country's gross domestic product and Chinese holidaymakers make up a quarter of total arrivals. Thailand has detected 25 coronavirus cases and nine of those patients have recovered, while streets, public transport and shopping centres have filled with people wearing face masks.
Singapore tells public not to shake hands
Health authorities in Singapore on Friday urged people not to shake hands as a measure against the spread of the new coronavirus in the Southeast Asian city-state.
The warning comes amid a rise in the number of new infections not linked to recent travel in China or previous cases.
"As a general good practice, we advise people not to shake hands during this period, but adopt alternative greetings," the Health Ministry said in a statement, urging Singaporeans to be prepared for "widespread community transmission."
41 more on a cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama
Another 41 people on a cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama have tested positive for a new coronavirus, the health ministry said Friday, bringing the total number of people from the vessel infected with the pneumonia-causing virus to 61.
The newly diagnosed people, all passengers of the Diamond Princess who are in their 20s to 80s, were taken to medical facilities in Tokyo and nearby Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures as well as Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan.
None have severe symptoms, the ministry said. Among the 41 who tested positive for the virus originating in the Chinese city of Wuhan, 21 are Japanese, eight American, five Australian and five Canadian with one each from Argentina and Britain.
REFERENCES
Xinhua; Kyodo; AFP News Updates
Ref: The Global New Light of Myanmar