oann--2020-02-04--China to allow in U.S. health experts as virus shows no sign of slowing

BEIJING/SHANGHAI ( Reuters ) – China has agreed to allow U.S. health experts into the country as part of a World Health Organization ( WHO ) effort to help fight the fast-spreading coronavirus , as the number of cases and deaths continued to mount .
In central China ’ s Hubei province , epicenter of the epidemic , China state TV reported there were 2,345 new cases of the virus and another 64 deaths , bringing the total of virus-related fatalities in Hubei to 414 by Monday .
The Chinese stock market plunged about 8 % on Monday , wiping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Shanghai bourse , on the first day of trading following an extended Lunar New Year holiday in a bid to help keep people at home and contain the virus ’ spread .
The White House said on Monday China had accepted its offer to have U.S. experts as part of a WHO mission to study and help combat the virus that emerged in Hubei ’ s provincial capital of Wuhan .
A 1,000-bed hospital built in eight days to treat people with the virus in Wuhan was due to receive its first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A second hospital with 1,600 beds is due to be operational later this week .
For a full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak click , https : //graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH/0100B59Y39P/index.html With Wuhan and some other Chinese cities in virtual lockdown , travel severely restricted and China facing increasing international isolation , fears of wider economic disruption are growing .
Sources at the OPEC oil cartel told Reuters producers were considering cutting output by a further 500,000 barrels per day ( bpd ) to support prices .
The WHO last week declared the flu-like virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 23 other countries and regions .
The Philippines reported the first coronavirus death outside of China .
Airlines around the world have stopped flights to parts of China .
A suspension by the United Arab Emirates on Monday will affect the Gulf airlines Etihad and Emirates .
Earlier on Monday , China accused the United States of spreading fear by pulling its citizens out and severely restricting travel .
Washington has “ unceasingly manufactured and spread panic , ” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters , noting that the WHO had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It is precisely developed countries like the United States with strong epidemic prevention capabilities and facilities that have taken the lead in imposing excessive restrictions contrary to WHO recommendations , ” she said .
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) defended the measures taken by the United States , including suspending the entry of foreign nationals who had visited China within the past 14 days .
“ We made an aggressive decision in front of an unprecedented threat that action now had the biggest potential to slow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what the theory is here , ” said Nancy Messonnier , director of the CDC ’ s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases , as she noted that there are already some 17,000 cases of a virus for which the population does not have immunity .
The WHO ’ s director-general , Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , again said travel bans were unnecessary .
“ There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade , ” he told the WHO ’ s executive board in Geneva .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) going to anywhere outside China is very low , and even in China when you go to other provinces , it ’ s very low , ” he added .
The outbreak is reminiscent of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ) , a virus from the same family that emerged in China in 2002 and killed almost 800 people around the world out of the roughly 8,000 who were infected .
Chinese data suggests the new virus , while much more contagious than SARS , is significantly less lethal , although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the latest figures from Hubei , the number of confirmed infections in China stood at 17,205 .
The WHO said at least 151 cases had been confirmed in 23 other countries and regions , including Japan , Thailand , Germany , Britain and the United States , which on Monday reported its second case of person-to-person transmission within its borders .
Chinese President Xi Jinping said controlling the virus was his country ’ s most important task , Xinhua state news agency said .
In addition to Monday ’ s Chinese stock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worst day since August , and Shanghai-traded commodities from oil to copper hit their lower limits – all despite the central bank ’ s injection of 1.2 trillion yuan ( $ 174 billion ) into money markets .
The selloff did not extend to U.S. markets , which closed higher on Monday with the S & P 500 up 0.7 % .
Fears over the effect of China ’ s lockdown on global growth have slashed more than 22 % off the price of the Brent global crude oil benchmark since its recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world economic output will be cut by 0.2 to 0.3 percentage point .
Taiwan ’ s Foxconn , which makes smartphones for Apple and other brands , has halted “ almost all ” of its production in China after companies were told to shut until at least Feb. 10 , a source said .
The company did not respond to a request for comment .
Countries continued to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan .
The United States , which flew nearly 200 people out last week , is planning “ a handful more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evacuating its citizens on Monday , and Canada said 304 of its citizens were seeking to be flown out .
Chinese-ruled Hong Kong , rocked by months of anti-China protests , announced the closure of four more border crossings with mainland China , leaving just three open .
China ’ s efforts to contain the virus have taken some unexpected , and some might say unnerving , forms .
A video clip posted on the microblogging website Weibo showed people playing mahjong in a village near the city of Chengdu being spotted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Playing mahjong outside is banned during the epidemic !
” an official tells the villagers through a loudspeaker .
“ You have been spotted .
”


oann--2020-02-05--China virus claims second life off mainland, Macau casinos told to close

HONG KONG/BEIJING ( Reuters ) – The coronavirus outbreak claimed its first life in Hong Kong on Tuesday , compounding the international financial centre ’ s problems after anti-government protests , and Macau , the world ’ s biggest gambling playground , urged casinos to shut their doors .
The victim in Hong Kong was a 39-year-old man with an underlying illness who had visited China ’ s Wuhan city , the epicentre of the outbreak now under virtual quarantine .
It was the second death from the new coronavirus outside mainland China .
A man died in the Philippines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first virus-related overseas fatality .
State TV late on Tuesday reported 3,156 new cases in China ’ s central Hubei province , as well as 65 new deaths , bringing the total to 479 deaths in Hubei .
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei .
Thousands of medical workers in Hong Kong , a semi-autonomous region of China , held a second day of strikes to press for complete closure of borders with the mainland after three checkpoints were left open .
“ We ’ re not threatening the government , we just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said a nurse taking part in the strike .
On the financial front , global and Chinese markets rose , with both Europe and metals enjoying their best sessions of the year after Shanghai ’ s main market lost nearly $ 400 billion the previous day .
But in the latest corporate hit , Hyundai Motor < 005380.KS > said it would gradually suspend production at South Korean factories because of supply chain disruptions .
Prior to the latest figures from Hubei , total infections in mainland China had climbed to 20,438 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ roughly two dozen countries , Hong Kong and Macau .
Macau , also a special administrative region of China lying across the Pearl River estuary from Hong Kong , said it had asked all casino operators to suspend operations for two weeks to help prevent the coronavirus spreading .
Macau ’ s chief executive , Ho Iat Seng , made the announcement as the former Portuguese colony , whose glittering casinos draw hundreds of thousands of gamblers from across the globe , reported 10 confirmed cases of the virus and imposed tight restrictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ territory .
Thailand ’ s tally of infections jumped to 25 , the highest outside China , while Singapore ’ s rose to 24 .
The World Health Organization ( WHO ) has declared the flu-like virus a global emergency , and experts say much is still unknown , including its mortality rate and transmission routes .
Such uncertainties have spurred strong measures by some countries , offending Beijing ’ s communist government , which has called for calm , fact-based responses instead of scaremongering .
Australia sent hundreds of evacuees from Wuhan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while Japan confirmed about 10 cases of coronavirus among 3,700 passengers and crew aboard a cruise liner held in quarantine , TV Asahi said , citing the health ministry .
Hong Kong has confirmed 17 cases .
The territory was badly hit by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ) , a coronavirus that emerged from China in 2002 , killed almost 800 people worldwide and cost the global economy an estimated $ 33 billion .
Chinese data suggests the new virus , while much more contagious , is significantly less lethal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
WHO director of global hazard preparedness Sylvie Briand said most who had died or suffered severe infections were people with underlying health conditions or the elderly .
Raising the prospect of another dispute as trade frictions were easing , Beijing on Monday accused the United States of spreading panic after it announced plans to block nearly all recent foreign visitors to China .
A handful of other nations have done the same .
Britain told its citizens to leave China if they could , and Russia set up a quarantine centre in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two cases , for Russians evacuated from China .
With the world ’ s second biggest economy facing increasing isolation and disruption , some economists predict world output will shrink by 0.2 to 0.3 percentage points .
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow played down the potential impact on the United States , but said on Tuesday that China ’ s coronavirus would delay a surge in U.S. exports to China expected from the Phase 1 trade deal that was to take effect later this month .
MSCI ’ s main world index @ @ @ @ @ @ @ led by the biggest leap in commodity-focused stocks in more than three months .
“ Investors are tentatively going back into risk , ” said MUFG strategist Lee Hardman .
Many airlines have stopped flights to parts of China .
A flight from Toronto to Jamaica was forced back when a Canadian man falsely announced to passengers that he had the coronavirus – and took a selfie .
He was arrested .

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oann--2020-04-01--Japan ‘on the brink’ as it struggles to hold back coronavirus

TOKYO ( Reuters ) – Japan is struggling to hold the line against the coronavirus and is on the brink of crisis with medical experts particularly worried about preparations in Tokyo , officials said on Wednesday , raising the prospect of emergency lockdowns .
Japan has some 2,200 cases of the coronavirus and 66 deaths , relatively small tallies compared with those of United States , China and some parts of Europe .
But the new infections are appearing relentlessly , with 105 reported on Wednesday , 65 of them in the capital , where cases are closely watched as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government to take drastic steps .
“ We are barely holding the line and remain at a critical point where virus cases could surge if we let down our guard , ” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a parliamentary committee .
He is set to hold a meeting of his coronavirus task force later on Wednesday .
Abe is under pressure from the public to declare a state of emergency that would allow authorities to impose lockdowns and restrict movements , but on a voluntary , not a legally binding , basis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease experts were alarmed about medical preparations in Tokyo , which now has about 500 cases .
“ Many experts expressed very strong sense of crisis and opinions over the spread of infections in Tokyo and the current state of medical preparedness , ” Nishimura told reporters .
“ We must prevent infections from spreading further no matter what .
We have come to the edge of edges , to the very brink.
” The governor of Tokyo , Yuriko Koike , has requested that residents of the city of nearly 14 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bars .
“ People are saying ‘ I didn ’ t think I would get infected myself ’ .
I want everyone to share the awareness that one should both protect oneself while also avoiding spreading ( the virus ) , ” she said .
A Bank of Japan poll showed the mood of industrial manufacturers at its most pessimistic for seven years .
Calls for a lockdown are increasing on social media , with many Twitter users expressing worry and citing much more drastic measures in foreign cities .
“ One of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is still commuting on packed trains , ” wrote a user under the Twitter handle Arikan .
“ I ’ m a little embarrassed by how indecisive Japan is compared to other nations.
” Media reported the possibility schools would remain closed until May .
The government first closed public schools at Abe ’ s request from March 2 .
The Tokyo metropolitan government had said it was planning to re-open at least some schools when the new academic year began in April .


oann--2020-04-04--As Spain battles virus, medics’ unions hit out

MADRID ( Reuters ) – When Spain ’ s first case of coronavirus was recorded on Jan. 31 – a German tourist in La Gomera , one of the remote Canary Islands – there seemed little cause for concern .
“ We believe that Spain will have , at most , not more than a few diagnosed cases , ” Fernando Simon , the country ’ s health emergency chief , told reporters .
Now , COVID-19 , the respiratory disease caused by the virus , has killed more people in Spain than China , where it originated .
Across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health systems and triggered calls for more and better protective equipment for those fighting it .
Spain ’ s doctors and nurses , who have released clips of each other cutting up plastic garbage bags to use as protective clothing , say their situation is worse than many .
More than 15,000 of them are sick or self-isolating and unable to help patients .
That ’ s around 14.7 % of the country ’ s confirmed cases , said a health ministry spokeswoman .
One union has said the concentration is higher in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the epicenter of the outbreak that has killed more than 9,000 and infected more than 100,000 .
Medical workers in Italy , for example , make up just under 10 % of reported COVID-19 cases , a smaller share than in Spain – although scientists say the data are not directly comparable because medical staff may not be tested at the same rate .
In a town in Catalonia , as many as one in three medical staff have been out of action because they were infected or self-isolating .
Cellphone footage has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media showing patients with oxygen tanks packed into the corridors – some laid out on the corridor floors – of hospitals .
In Spain , unions representing Spain ’ s medical staff are taking action .
Unions have filed lawsuits in at least 10 of Spain ’ s 17 regions asking judges to compel the authorities to provide equipment within 24 hours in line with health and safety law , said a spokeswoman for the national federation of doctors ’ unions , CESM .
In Catalonia , the top regional court on Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must provide protection measures whenever equipment arrives .
The health ministry said it had always acted on scientific evidence , following experts ’ recommendations , and taking steps based on a thorough assessment of the situation at any given time .
Health Minister Salvador Illa has said the equipment market was simply overwhelmed , but said on Tuesday the ministry had managed “ steady and continuous deliveries ” of equipment .
“ We feel very proud of what the Spanish healthcare workers are doing , ” he told a news conference .
Spain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s , is run at regional level .
The central government took control by declaring a state of emergency on March 14 , and the authorities are trying to hire thousands of extra staff .
But the health ministry – like everyone globally – has struggled to get hold of supplies .
“ The explosion of cases in Spain is not normal … it has been very poorly managed since the beginning , ” said Tomas Toranzo , president of CESM , whose members are filing the suits .
“ The coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mild flu , and it seemed that this would only affect a few elderly.
” Unions say their members were ignored .
Already in February , there were signs the virus was spreading , said Angela Hernandez , a Madrid surgeon and deputy secretary of the doctors ’ union AMYTS .
She said doctors in major hospitals in Madrid noticed a cluster of unusually severe pneumonia cases that didn ’ t correspond with the end of the flu season – similar to those that Chinese doctors had recorded on the new coronavirus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s health ministry prevented doctors nationwide from testing for it .
It took until March 11 for the health ministry to allow doctors to test people who displayed even mild symptoms .
Such confusion was widespread globally .
Spain ’ s health workers , a dozen of whom spoke to Reuters , say they were vulnerable in other ways too .
In mid-February , Jesus Garcia Ramos , the representative for health and safety for Madrid ’ s nurses ’ union , Satse Madrid , asked the regional health authority for extra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
One thing they wanted to know : How to take off protective equipment without infecting the wearer .
He said it took 10 days for the first training sessions to begin on Feb. 25 , the date Madrid reported its first case .
In some other Madrid hospitals , training didn ’ t start until the first week of March , he added .
By then , the number of cases nationwide had leapt from dozens to hundreds .
The Madrid authority did not respond to requests for comment .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ also ignored .
Josep Maria Puig , who works at Barcelona ’ s Hospital del Mar , said he suggested to regional health officials from late February that they consider calling up retired health workers and building makeshift hospitals .
It took a couple of weeks for them to act – too long , he said .
Puig , who is also secretary general of Metges de Catalunya , Catalonia ’ s biggest doctors ’ union , said Spain wasted crucial time and “ failed spectacularly ” to get personal protection equipment ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , despite real-time lessons from Italy : “ Italy was 10 days ahead of us , which should have allowed us to see where things could be heading.
” A spokesman for Catalonia ’ s health department did not respond to requests for comment .
On March 18 , the central government issued a document outlining “ alternative strategies ” for staff dealing with the shortage .
Adapted from a similar one prepared by America ’ s Centers for Disease Control , it said staff lacking masks had five options , including re-using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the highest risk of infection .
It also suggested different kinds of aprons and gloves that could be used .
Some nurses have been forced to improvise , fashioning protective clothing from garbage bags , shower caps , or raincoats from a Madrid amusement park .
In the town of Igualada , an hour ’ s drive north of Barcelona , a local government spokesman said that about one-third of the hospital ’ s 1,000 staff – all of whom have been tested – have had to self-isolate either because they had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who may have been .
A total of 98 people in Igualada have died of the disease and , of the more than 600 infected , 154 are healthcare workers , according to the regional health authority .
On March 12 , Igualada became the first municipality in Spain to be completely sealed off , following Italy ’ s example with the northern region of Lombardy .
Only those providing vital services can enter or leave .
In Alicante , a Spanish port city popular with tourists , doctor Victor Pedrera said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ management of his healthcare center and the local health authority to cancel all non-essential medical appointments to prepare for the pandemic .
The request was ignored , he said .
“ I felt totally helpless , because more and more people with respiratory symptoms were coming , ” he said .
“ It was like a tsunami movie where you see the wave coming and no one is doing anything.
” Only more than two weeks after Pedrera ’ s request did his clinic totally suspend non-essential appointments , he said .
Valencia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommended hospitals set up virtual appointments from early March , and had always acted to minimize the risk for the population .
Infections of healthcare workers have continued to rise .
On Monday Fernando Simon , the health emergency chief , tested positive for coronavirus .
The health ministry said Simon was not available to comment as he was in isolation .
On Tuesday , he connected by video to the government ’ s daily news conference .
He said , “ I ’ m feeling very good .
A good night ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have to keep the quarantine even inside my house .
I ’ m in my room and I ’ m not coming out of it.
” ( The story refiles to fix spelling of Hernandez in top of second section ) .