The number of new coronavirus diseases and deaths has reached a new record. Southeast Asia is particularly affected. A pandemic can not yet be said, experts say.
The number of new diseases and deaths from lung disease reaches a new record. Especially in Asia, the number of patients infected with the coronavirus is increasing. The Ministry of Health in Singapore reported six new cases, bringing the total to 24. In Thailand, 25 were also counted after six new infections.
Hong Kong had the second death outside of mainland China. The hospital authority confirmed the death of a 39-year-old. A patient had previously died in the Philippines. Britain and France warned their citizens about traveling to China and asked those who were there to leave.
First case in Belgium
More than 20,400 people have been infected in China so far, 425 people died of the new virus there. Outside of China, almost 200 infections have been confirmed in 20 countries. Belgium confirmed its first case. The health ministry said that it had been identified in one of the nine citizens who had been flown out of Wuhan, the source of the virus, over the weekend.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the first of five military aircraft with citizens from Russia had left Wuhan. 132 Russians and 15 people from other former Soviet republics should be brought to quarantine in southern Siberia, said Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikowa. President Vladimir Putin urged neighboring China to stop the spread of the virus.
In Japan, a cruise ship with 2666 passengers and 1000 crew members was quarantined on board. A guest had tested positive for Corona after his trip.
Quiet self-criticism from Beijing
China’s leadership acknowledged “shortcomings and deficits” in responding to the outbreak of the new lung disease. After a meeting chaired by head of state and party leader Xi Jinping, the Politburo said, according to state television: “We have to summarize the experiences and learn from them.” National crisis management needs to be improved.
The corona virus is also having increasingly severe consequences for China’s economy. The casinos in the Macao Special Administrative Region are to be closed for two weeks. The decision of the authorities is also a sign of how seriously the epidemic is now being taken. The casinos deduct around 40 percent tax from their winnings. With this measure, the city is foregoing a lot of money.
“No pandemic yet”
David Heymann, who was trying to tackle the SARS epidemic in 2002 and 2003 for the World Health Organization, said it was too early to say when the virus had reached its peak. The World Health Organization considers the criteria of a pandemic to be met if there is an ongoing spread of disease on at least two continents.
