The coronavirus epidemic continues to spread worldwide. In China, the outbreak appears to have stabilized, while it increases in the United States; the Vatican also now affected.
According to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) count with the competent national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of known cases has exceeded the 100,000 marks since the start of l epidemic, including 3,406 deaths, in 91 countries and territories around the world.
China reported
China reported Friday, March 6, 30 new deaths Covid-19 (the disease caused by the Sars-CoV-2), bringing to 3042 the number of deaths since the onset of the epidemic in the country – for a total of 80,552 infected people. The daily number of new deaths has been between 30 and 40 since March 3. The figure of 30 dead announced Friday is the lowest since February 27 (29 deaths).
The number of new cases stands at 143, a very slight increase compared to the previous day (139), according to data released by the national health commission for the past twenty-four hours.
The country also reported 16 new imported contamination cases, for a total of 36 cases. The commission does not specify which countries they come from. Still, local authorities announced on Tuesday that eight Chinese people who worked in a restaurant in Bergamo, in northern Italy, were found to be carrying the virus after they returned to China to the end of February. Other cases from Iran have also been reported.
Emergency plan
While the US Congress approved an emergency plan of 8.3 billion dollars to finance the fight against the coronavirus on Thursday, the health authorities carried out on Thursday a test onboard a cruise ship, kept at a distance from California coasts to determine if passengers and crew had contracted the Covid-19.
Grand Princess liner
Some people aboard the Grand Princess liner did indeed display flu symptoms consistent with the disease when a 71-year-old man died of the Covid-19 after traveling on the ship during a recent cruise to Mexico. The Grand Princess was initially scheduled to dock in San Francisco on Wednesday. Still, authorities opposed it, and the liner made circles around Thursday afternoon in the water some 100 kilometers off the coast. The ship, returning from Hawaii, shortened its trip as some of the tourists (2,383 in total) and crew members (1,100) began to show signs of infection.
Donald Trump
Charged by Donald Trump to coordinate the fight against the coronavirus, the vice-president, Mike Pence, acknowledged that the country does not have enough tests to date to meet the expected demand. Visiting Washington state (northwest), the most affected by the epidemic with more than 70 cases and 11 deaths, Mike Pence, however, announced that kits would be “delivered across the country in the coming days to test approximately 1.2 million Americans. ” Another four million packages are expected to follow “by the end of next week,” he added.
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Coronavirus in Japan
The epidemic is also responsible for diplomatic tensions. Thus, Seoul will summon the Japanese ambassador to protest the “irrational” quarantine measures imposed on people arriving in Japan from South Korea to fight against the coronavirus.
“We can’t help but wonder if Japan has ulterior motives, beyond trying to contain the epidemic,” said the South Korean foreign ministry. South Korea added that it could take retaliatory measures by saying that it was examining “all feasible options” to ensure the safety of its nationals.
Coronavirus in Seoul
Seoul announced Friday that its case number is now 6,284. Seven new deaths have been reported by the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), bringing the epidemic to 42 dead.
In Iran, a veteran diplomat, who took part in the hostage-taking of the American Embassy in Tehran in 1979, died Thursday night of the Covid-19. He adds to the 16 new victims of the virus in the country, bringing the Iranian death toll to 124 dead. The number of people infected increased by 1,234 cases, bringing to 4,747 the number of infections in the country, of which the 31 provinces are now affected.
Coronavirus in Spain
In Spain, five people died after being infected with Covid-19, while cases jumped from more than 100 to 365, according to a report by authorities on Friday.
In Greece
In Greece, the health ministry has announced 14 new cases, the majority of which belong to a group of pilgrims returning from Israel and Egypt, bringing the death toll to 45 people infected in the country.
In Egypt
In Egypt, the authorities announced Friday it had detected 12 cases among staff members onboard a cruise boat on the Nile in the south of the country.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands announced the first death due to the epidemic on Friday. The country has 128 confirmed cases.
In Italy
In Italy, where there are 3,858 cases and 148 deaths, the classic Italian cyclist Milan-San Remo, which was scheduled for March 21, was canceled due to the epidemic of coronavirus, announced Friday, the organizing company of the race (RCS). Another essential race, Tirreno-Adriatico – dubbed the Two Seas Race -, scheduled for next week (March 11-17), is also canceled by the same company, which hopes to be able to organize races on other dates in the season.
In India
In India, the ceremony of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA), the local equivalent of the Oscars, which was to be held on March 27, has been postponed.
Himalayan kingdom
The isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan announced on Friday its first confirmed case of coronavirus. A 76-year-old American tourist arrived in this country on March 2 from India. He was admitted to a hospital on Thursday, where tests revealed he was a carrier of the new coronavirus, Prime Minister Lotay Tshering’s services announced on Facebook.
In Cameroon
In Cameroon, the first case confirmed on Friday. This is a Frenchman who arrived on February 24 in Yaoundé, the capital. Cameroon is, therefore, the first country in Central Africa and the eighth country on the continent to announce a case of Covid-19.
In Serbia
In Serbia, a first case was detected Friday, a 43-year-old man who stayed in Hungary. He was placed in solitary confinement in a hospital, and his health is good, said the Minister of Health. The Slovak Republic has also announced its first case, a 52-year-old man whose son had gone to Venice.
At the Vatican
At the Vatican, the first case of a patient positive for coronavirus was detected in the medical center, which announced Friday its temporary closure for disinfection but leaving the emergency room open. Matteo Bruni, the spokesperson for the small state of around 1,000 residents, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that “all the patients who passed through the medical center [were] being warned.”