SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea confirmed 52 more cases of novel coronavirus on Friday, taking its overall figure to 156 and making it the worst-infected country outside China. Altogether 39 of the new cases were linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southern city of Daegu, the Korean Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said. More than 80 members of Shincheonji have now been infected, starting with a 61-year-old woman who […]
Tag: china
Two Australian evacuees from Japan ship have coronavirus
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Two Australians evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship have tested positive for coronavirus, authorities said Friday, raising questions about Japan’s policy of allowing evacuees to return home after testing negative. “We have two people who are positive for the COVID-19 virus. Those two people have a mild illness,” said Dianne Stephens, acting chief health officer for the Northern Territories. Hundreds of people have been allowed to leave the ship after […]
China’s Hubei province reports 115 more virus deaths
BEIJING, China (AFP) — The death toll in China from the coronavirus epidemic rose to 2,233 on Friday after 115 more people died in Hubei province, the hard-hit epicenter of the outbreak. The vast majority of the deaths were in the provincial capital of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December, according to a daily update from the Hubei health commission. Around 75,000 people have been infected by the new coronavirus in China, and […]
Fewer virus cases in China, but deaths abroad increase
by Laurent Thomet, with Miwa Suzuki in Tokyo BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Thursday touted a big drop in new virus infections as proof it’s epidemic control efforts are working, but the toll grew abroad with deaths in Japan and South Korea. Fatalities in China hit 2,118 as 114 more people died, but health officials reported the lowest number of new cases in nearly a month, including in hardest-hit Hubei province. More than 74,000 […]
Three new coronavirus cases in Iran after two deaths
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran has confirmed three new coronavirus cases following the deaths of two elderly men, the health ministry told AFP on Thursday, as Iraq banned travel to and from its neighbor. The pair who died were elderly Iranian citizens and residents of the city of Qom. They were the first confirmed deaths from the COVID-19 virus in the Middle East. Health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpour said two of the new cases were […]
First South Korea virus patient dies as number of infections doubles
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea reported its first death Thursday from coronavirus as the number of infections nearly doubled to over 100 — almost half of them from a cluster centred on a religious sect. The sharp rise came as the mayor of Daegu — South Korea’s fourth biggest city, with a population of over 2.5 million — advised residents to stay indoors, and commanders at a major US base in the […]
Two former Japan cruise ship passengers die: media
by Miwa Suzuki Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Two former passengers of the coronavirus-wracked Diamond Princess have died, local media reported Thursday, as fears mount about those who have left the ship after testing negative for the virus. A man and a woman in their 80s who had been infected have died, public broadcaster NHK and others reported, which would be the first fatal cases among the more than 600 on board […]
Coronavirus death toll in China hits 2,112; Hubei province reports 108 more virus deaths
BEIJING, China (AFP) — The death toll from China’s new coronavirus epidemic jumped to 2,112 on Thursday after 108 more people died in Hubei province, the hard-hit epicentre of the outbreak. Most of the deaths were in the provincial capital Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December, according to the daily update from the Hubei health commission. More than 74,500 people have now been infected with the new coronavirus nationwide. Hubei health officials said […]
Coronavirus kills two Iranians, first Mideast deaths
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Two people have died in Iran after testing positive on Wednesday for the new coronavirus, the health ministry said, in the Islamic republic’s first cases of the disease. According to YJC news agency, a branch of state television, the pair who died were Iranian citizens and residents of the holy city of Qom. They are also the first deaths from the COVID-19 virus in the Middle East and only the […]
China withdraw from Romania Davis Cup tie due to coronavirus worries
PARIS, France (AFP) — China have been forced to pull out of next month’s Davis Cup play-off with Romania due to the ongoing deadly coronavirus outbreak, the International Tennis Federation announced (ITF) on Tuesday. They were due to travel to the Romanian city of Piatra Nemat for qualifying matches in the second-tier competition in March. “The Davis Cup Committee has accepted the withdrawal of China, P.R. from their Davis Cup World Group I Play-off against […]
Diplomatic visa holders coming from China, HK, Macau allowed entry into PHL but need to undergo 14-day quarantine — DOH
Filipinos and their foreign spouses and children also allowed entry (Eagle News) — Filipinos and their foreign spouses or children, and holders of diplomatic visas will now be allowed into the country even if they come from China, Macau and Hong Kong. According to the Department of Health, based on a recently revised resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, they will, however, still be subjected to the required 14-day quarantine to […]
China virus death toll surges past 2,000, but new cases fall for 2nd straight day
BEIJING, China (AFP) — The death toll from China’s new coronavirus epidemic jumped past 2,000 on Wednesday after 136 more people died, with the number of new cases falling for a second straight day, according to the National Health Commission. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China to 74,185. The death toll rose to 2,004, with most of the deaths in central Hubei province, where the virus first emerged in […]





