Six More Cases on Japan Cruise Ship (4 p.m. HK)https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/09/coronavirus-latest-updates-china-death-toll.htmlAnother six people on board the Diamond Princess have been infected with the new coronavirus, the New York Times reported, citing an announcement on board the vessel Sunday.
That brings the total number of infections there to 70, from 64 the previous day. The six have been taken ashore, along with nine others who were brought to hospitals for reasons other than the virus, the NYT said
Japan’s Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said Sunday the country will give priority on virus inspections to elderly people on the ship in Yokohama.
Japanese media reported on Sunday that nearly 100 people onboard the ship cruise, the Diamond Princess, are "feeling unwell" and will be tested for the novel coronavirus.There are about 600 people on the vessel who need medicine, he said.
According to the Chinese embassy in Japan, there are 22 people from Chinese mainland – two passengers and 20 crew, plus 260 Hong Kong passengers, five from Macao, as well as 20 more from Taiwan.
Among them, five Chinese nationals have been confirmed infected with the virus – one passenger from Chinese mainland, three from Hong Kong and one from Taiwan.
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Wuhan Outbreak Peak Calculated in Study (8 a.m. HK)https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-08/virus-outbreak-in-wuhan-may-soon-peak-with-more-than-5-infectedThe coronavirus may have infected at least 1 in 20 people in Wuhan, the epicenter of the global outbreak, by the time it peaks in coming weeks, according to scientists modeling its spread. (... at least 550,000 people)
Trends in reported cases in Wuhan -- a city of 11 million people in lockdown since Jan. 23 -- broadly support the mathematical modeling the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is using to predict the epidemic’s transmission dynamics.
"Assuming current trends continue, we’re still projecting a mid-to-late-February peak” in Wuhan, said Adam Kucharski, an associate professor of infectious disease epidemiology, in a Sunday email.
Kucharski and his colleagues base their modeling on a range of assumptions about the virus, including an incubation of 5.2 days and a delay from onset of symptoms to confirmation of infection of 6.1 days.
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China Virus Funeral Order Fuels Upset As Death Toll Exceeds SARShttps://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2020/02/china-virus-funeral-order-fuels-upset-death-toll-exceeds-sars-200209010139644.htmlSichuan, China - Orders issued by China's top health authority for the swift cremation of the remains of coronavirus victims at facilities near the hospitals where they died appear to be an overreaction and unnecessary to curb the transmission of the disease, top epidemiologists have said.
The February 2 notice from the country's National Health Commission requires hospitals to notify funeral parlours of the death along with family members, but also states the procedure can be completed even if the family of the deceased does not agree.
According to the NHC cremation order:
"If family members of an nCoV-2019 patient refuse to show up for the procedure or refuse to comply, and medical institutions, cremation parlors have failed to persuade them to do so, then the body can be cremated with the medical institutions' signature, and public security authorities overseeing the area must carry out their relevant work accordingly." The order also prohibits funeral ceremonies for those who have died from the virus, potentially cutting off the grieving process and any religious ceremony for families and entire communities who are mourning the loss of their loved ones, and there is little sign such an arrangement is even necessary.
It is also a problem, according to epidemiologists, that both those known to have died of the coronavirus and those who have died from pneumonia but have not been not confirmed to have contracted the virus, are being cremated. These actions are leaving major gaps in the investigation data even though it has been over a month since China first notified the World Health Organization about the outbreak.
"We still don't know even the basic descriptive epidemiological data such as distribution of cases and deaths by age, sex and risk factors, as well as presentation and proportion of various clinical symptoms and signs," Levine said.
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U.S. Embassy in China Suspends Regular Visa Services Amid Virus (12:20 p.m. HK)The U.S. will temporarily suspend regular visa services in mainland China from Monday as the coronavirus epidemic leaves it with “limited staffing.”
The U.S. embassy in Beijing and consulates in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenyang may not be able to respond to requests on regular visa services but may make available some emergency appointments, according to a statement on its website Saturday.
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State Department Authorizes Personnel to Evacuate China Due to Coronavirushttps://www.axios.com/state-department-staff-evacuate-china-coronavirus-05f55f0b-25e7-4fa3-b344-b9c5d245ec7d.htmlIn a decision that's one step down from an order to evacuate, the U.S. State Department placed diplomatic staff and their families in China on "authorized departure," meaning they are permitted to leave the country.
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China To Boost Medical Equipment Production Immediately (10:59 a.m. HK)China said it will increase government procurement to boost output of medical equipment and drugs that are in acute shortage.
The nation is pushing producers of safety and health screening equipment, and makers of drugs and vaccines to run at full speed as soon as possible, the National Development and Reform Commission said Sunday. The government will help companies secure funding, licensing, facilities and raw materials if needed, and will buy any unsold products, it said.
The city of Xiaogan — the second-worst hit city in Hubei, according to state-run media Xinhua — faces a shortfall of 24,000 protective gear, 60,000 masks, as well as 15,000 goggles and face shields, Xinhua reported last week. It was citing the Xiaogan headquarters for prevention and control of the epidemic
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Coronavirus Impact On Hong Kong Economy More Severe Than 2003’s Sars, Finance Chief WarnsFinancial Secretary Paul Chan says city is now more reliant on tourism, which has been severely hammered by health crisis, on top of ongoing civil unrest
He adds that coming unemployment rate will surpass that of last quarter
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