The team of 16 experts recently decided twice against declaring an international emergency. This would involve stricter measures to combat the outbreak. Ghebreyesus said the spread of the virus, especially from person to person in some countries like Germany, is a concern of the UN agency. In Germany four cases are confirmed in Bavaria, in Finland there was the first confirmation.
So far, infections from 15 countries have been reported, according to the WHO. With the exception of around 70 cases, most of the diseases have occurred in China, where the pathogen originated. The Beijing State Health Commission released new numbers Thursday, showing a surge in deaths and illnesses. Accordingly, 170 people had died up to and including Wednesday. This number was still valid on Thursday, but that of the sick rose from 7,711 to 7,830.
Two suspected cases were reported on board the cruise ship “Costa Smeralda” in the port of Civitavecchia north of Rome. As the health authorities of the Italian port city announced on Thursday, they were informed in the morning. Three doctors boarded to take samples from the 54-year-old woman and her husband from the Macao Special Administrative Region of China. The Chinese couple are in isolation on board the ship, it said.
In the afternoon, 1,143 of the over 6,000 passengers on board were given permission to leave the ship. Passengers who have ended the cruise and for whom the exit in the port of Civitavecchia were intended to disembark. Passengers who have remained on board are likely to continue the cruise if the suspected cases are not confirmed.
In the fight against the spread of the corona virus, prisoners in Hong Kong have to produce significantly more protective masks than usual. So far, around 50,000 mouthguards have been made daily in the prisons of the Chinese Special Administrative Region, chief of administration Matthew Cheung told journalists on Thursday.
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