Tag: china

Updated: At least 13 cities in China under transport ban as coronavirus death toll rises to 26

  China has imposed a travel ban in more cities, including the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus in Wuhan, bringing the number affected by the shutdown to over 41 million as authorities scramble to control the disease that has killed 26 so far. Various reports said that 13 cities all in Hubei province where the virus first emerged are now under a transport ban. Aside from the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus in Wuhan, these […]

South Korea confirms second coronavirus case

  South Korea on Friday confirmed its second case of the SARS-like virus that has killed at least 25 in China, as concerns mount about a wider outbreak. Several nations including the US have stepped up checks on airport passengers to detect the coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The virus has caused alarm in China and abroad because of its genetic similarities to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which […]

Japan confirms second coronavirus case

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s health ministry said Friday it had confirmed the country’s second case of a novel coronavirus strain, in a man who travelled from the Chinese city of Wuhan. In a statement, the ministry said the man in his 40s was a resident of the Chinese city where the outbreak began and arrived in Japan on January 19. He reported having had a fever for several days before his arrival but […]

China virus toll jumps to 25 dead with 830 confirmed cases: govt

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — The death toll in China’s viral outbreak has risen to 25, with the number of confirmed cases also leaping to 830, the government said on Friday. The National Health Commission said authorities were also examining 1,072 suspected cases of the virus that first emerged in central city of Wuhan. The markedly higher numbers were released just hours after the World Health Organization stopped short of declaring the situation to be […]

Aviation authorities suspend flights from Wuhan, China to PHL amid threat of novel coronavirus

135 passengers who landed in Kalibo, Aklan to return to Wuhan, CAAP says (Eagle News)–Aviation authorities have suspended flights from Wuhan, China, where an outbreak of the novel coronavirus has been declared, to any point in the Philippines. Wyrlou Samodio, chief of the Civil Aeronautics Board’s legal division, said in a radio interview on Friday, Jan. 24, that the board came to the decision in a special board meeting  on Thursday, Jan. 22, after Wuhan […]

What we know so far about the new China virus

  by Helen ROXBURGH Agence France Presse As China locks down the city at the epicentre of a new viral outbreak, countries around the world are scrambling to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. Here’s what we know so far about the illness that has killed 17 people and infected at least 570, mostly in Wuhan: – It’s entirely new – The pathogen appears to be a never-before-seen strain of coronavirus — a family […]

China locks down two cities to curb virus outbreak

  by Hector RETAMAL and Sebastien RICCI Agence France Presse WUHAN, China (AFP) — China locked down two major cities in a province at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak on Thursday, banning planes and trains from leaving in an unprecedented move aimed at containing the disease which has already spread to other countries. The respiratory virus has claimed 17 lives since emerging from a seafood and animal market in Wuhan, infected hundreds of […]

DOH says 2nd test on Chinese boy, negative for coronavirus; but confirmatory test from Australia still needed

(Eagle News) – The Department of Health in Central Visayas said that the second test on the five-year old Chinese boy who first tested positive for the coronavirus showed he is now negative of the disease. But despite the negative result of the second swab test done earlier on the boy, it is still important to wait for the confirmatory test result that the country had sent to Australia, said the DOH. The second swab […]

How the new coronavirus developed

PARIS, France (AFP) — A new coronavirus, a mysterious SARS-like disease, has spread around China and three other Asian countries since first emerging in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. A timeline: – Alarm raised – The World Health Organization (WHO) is alerted on December 31, 2019, by the Chinese authorities of a string of pneumonia-like cases in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people. Patients are quarantined and work begins on identifying the origin […]

China locks down city at centre of virus outbreak

  by Hector RETAMAL Agence France Presse WUHAN, China (AFP) — China banned trains and planes from leaving a major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on Thursday, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed 17 lives, infected hundreds and spread to other countries. Authorities in Wuhan, a major transport hub, also suspended public buses and subways, and said residents should not leave “without […]

Hong Kong reports first ‘preliminary positive’ case of new virus

  Hong Kong reported its first suspected case of the new SARS-like virus Wednesday in a man who arrived in the city from Wuhan via the cross-border high-speed railway. Health secretary Sophia Chan said the 39-year-old man was “preliminarily positive”, but a final test result would only be known on Thursday. “We decided to announced the case (early) due to heavy public concern,” Chan said. The man and four family members had taken the high-speed […]

Studies suggest role of bats, snakes in outbreak of China virus

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A new strain of coronavirus that emerged in China may have originated in bats or snakes, according to genetic analysis of the virus that has so far killed 17 people. The theories are based on examination of the genome sequence of the virus released by authorities in the wake of the outbreak, with two studies pointing to the likely role of bats in the outbreak. One study, published Tuesday in the […]