The new coronavirus epidemic has killed 811 people in China, becoming more deadly than that of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), which killed 774 people worldwide in 2002-2003, according to the latest official figures released on Sunday 9 February.
The 2019-nCoV virus has killed 89 new people in mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao), where there are 37,198 patients. Only two deaths – one in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong – have so far been reported outside of mainland China.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated on Saturday that the number of contamination cases detected daily in China ” stabilizes “, even if it is too early to conclude that the epidemic has passed its peak.
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Five new cases in France
The epidemic continues to spread around the world. More than 320 cases of contamination have been confirmed in around thirty countries and territories. Five new cases (four adults and one child, all of British nationality) were announced in France on Saturday, bringing the total to 11 in the country.
This alarming situation has prompted Hong Kong to impose a drastic measure: since Saturday, everyone arriving from mainland China must isolate themselves for two weeks at home, at the hotel or in any other accommodation. Recalcitrants face six months in prison.
Containment measures also remain strict in many Chinese cities, where tens of millions of people must remain caulked at home. The metropolis of Shanghai (east), populated by 24 million people, became the last municipality on Saturday to impose the wearing of masks in public places.
Visiting Wuhan this week, Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chunlan ordered local authorities to adopt measures to “Wartime” to search for residents with fever by raking neighborhoods.
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Quarantined vessels in Asia
Many countries are tightening their restrictive measures against people from China, and advise against travel to this country, France being the latest on Saturday. Most international airlines have suspended flights to mainland China.
At the same time, thousands of travelers and crew remain on two cruise ships in Asia. In Japan, the number of people infected on the liner Diamond princess continues to increase, climbing to 64 cases on Saturday, including one person in serious condition. Some 3,700 people on board remain cloistered in their cabins, while medicines are running out.
In Hong Kong, 3,600 people suffer a similar fate on the World dream, including eight former passengers who tested positive. Japan has banned another cruise ship, where a passenger is suspected of being contaminated, from docking on the archipelago.
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Provisionally named “new coronavirus pneumonia”
WHO has announced that 82% of the cases listed are considered minor, 15% serious and 3% “Critical”, less than 2% of cases being fatal. The mortality rate of this virus, temporarily named “2019-nCoV”, is currently much lower than that of SARS (14%) which had infected 5,327 people in China.
WHO is cautiously moving towards a final name for the infectious agent, so as not to stigmatize the Chinese people or Wuhan. The decision should take place in the coming days. Meanwhile, China announced on Saturday to tentatively name the disease “New coronavirus pneumonia”, giving it the official English acronym of ASC (for novel coronavirus pneumonia).
Police in Hungary announced on Saturday that they had dismantled a network of dozens of fake news websites claiming that Hungarians had died from the coronavirus, with the sole aim of attracting traffic and making money.
Our selection of articles on the new coronavirus
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