WHO raises risk of global pandemic to ‘very high’ as coronavirus spreads
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THE rapid spread of the coronavirus raised fears of a pandemic yesterday, with more countries reporting their first cases and the World Health Organization raising the risk assessment from high to very high at global level.
“Our epidemiologists have been monitoring these developments continuously, and we have now increased our assessment of the risk of spread and the risk of impact of COVID-19 to very high at a global level,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, at a daily briefing.
World share markets crashed again, compounding their worst week since the 2008 global financial crisis and bringing the global wipeout to US$5 trillion.
Hopes that the epidemic that started in China late last year would be over in months, and that economic activity would quickly return to normal, have been shattered as the number of international cases has spiralled.
“The outbreak is getting bigger,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva.
“The scenario of the coronavirus reaching multiple countries, if not all countries around the world, is something we have been looking at and warning against since quite a while.”
Switzerland joined countries banning big events to try to curb the epidemic, forcing cancelation of next week’s Geneva international car show, one of the automotive industry’s most important gatherings.
The United States asked its military in Saudi Arabia to avoid crowded venues including malls and cinemas.
China reported 329 new cases, the lowest since January 23, taking its tally to more than 78,800 cases with almost 2,800 deaths.
On China’s mainland, the number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Chinese province of Hubei outside the city of Wuhan and outside Hubei have both dropped to single digits for the first time, indicating a positive trend in China’s fight against the novel coronavirus, according to the National Health Commission.
On Thursday, nine newly confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported outside Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the NHC, said yesterday in Beijing.
Hubei Province reported five new confirmed cases of COVID-19 outside the provincial capital Wuhan on the same day, he said.
China’s three biggest airlines restored some international flights and the Shanghai fashion show, initially postponed, went ahead online.
But as the outbreak eases in China, it is surging elsewhere.
Five more countries have reported their first case of COVID-19, all with travel history connected to Italy. They were Nigeria, Estonia, Denmark, Netherlands and Lithuania, Lindmeier said.
Countries other than China now account for about three-quarters of new infections.
Bulgaria said it was ready to deploy up to 1,000 troops and military equipment to the border with neighboring Turkey to prevent illegal migrant inflows. It said it would not allow massive inflows at a time when it is stepping up preventive measures against the coronavirus. It has not reported any cases.
In addition to stockpiling medical supplies, governments ordered schools shut and cancelled big gatherings to try to halt the flu-like disease known as COVID-19.
US President Donald Trump’s administration was considering invoking special powers to expand production of protective gear. In Europe, France’s reported cases doubled, Germany warned of an impending epidemic and Greece, a gateway for refugees from the Middle East, announced tighter border controls.
The death toll in Italy, Europe’s worst-hit country, rose to 17 and those testing positive increased by more than 200 to 655.
Iran, Italy and South Korea were at a “decisive point” in efforts to prevent a wider outbreak, the WHO said.
South Korea has the most cases outside China. It reported 571 new infections yesterday — its biggest daily increase in infections, bringing the total to 2,337. The outbreak has killed 13 people in South Korea.
The coronavirus crisis has spooked South Korea’s financial markets, led Hyundai Motor to shut down one of its plants and prompted boy band BTS to cancel its April concert.
The head of the WHO’s emergency program Dr Mike Ryan, said Iran’s outbreak may be worse than realized. It has reported the most deaths outside China — 34 from 388 reported cases.
Iran announced yesterday the closure of all schools for three days from today.
The Islamic Republic had already canceled Friday prayers in the capitals of 23 of Iran’s 31 provinces because of the outbreak, including in Tehran and the Shi’ite holy cities of Qom and Mashhad.
Japan is scheduled to host the 2020 Olympics in July but Ryan said discussions were being held about whether to go ahead.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had called for schools to close and the northern island of Hokkaido, which has seen the largest number of cases in Japan, declared a state of emergency
As of yesterday, confirmed cases in Japan had risen above 200, with four deaths. That excludes more than 700 cases and six more deaths from a quarantined cruise liner, the Diamond Princess.
Hong Kong, where the coronavirus has killed two people and infected more than 90, quarantined a pet dog of a coronavirus patient after its nasal and oral samples tested “weak positive,” though authorities had no evidence the virus can be transmitted to pets.
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