The US, Australia and Thailand have reported their first deaths from coronavirus as two frontline doctors in China died and more countries put in place bans on large gatherings and travel restrictions.
A 35-year-old male retail worker in Thailand died from Covid-19, according to the country’s department of disease control on Sunday. The man had also tested positive for dengue fever. In Australia, a 78-year-old man who was on the Diamond Princess cruise ship died in a hospital in Western Australia. His wife has also contracted the virus.
On Saturday, US officials said a man in his 50s in Washington state had died, after being tested for the disease on Thursday. Authorities said they did not know how he had contracted the virus because he did not have any history of travel to affected areas or contact with known Covid-19 cases.
On Sunday, China reported its sharpest increase in new infections in a week with 573 new cases, the highest daily rise in a week. Chinese health authorities reported 35 new deaths on Sunday, a drop from the previous day’s toll of 47.
A 32-year-old doctor named Zhong Jinxing in the southern province of Guangxi reportedly died from “overwork” on Friday after working for 33 consecutive days. Another doctor, Jiang Xueqing, 55, died on Sunday after having been infected with Covid-19, according to Chinese state media.
An estimated 87,000 people globally have contracted the virus, with cases in at least 59 countries. On Sunday, Armenia reported its first case, while Qatar, Ecuador, Luxembourg and Ireland were among those reporting initial infections over the weekend.
South Korea, the worst-hit country after China, confirmed 376 new cases on Sunday, bringing the number of infections to more than 3,500. Churches were closed, with many holding online services as authorities warned residents to stay indoors during this “critical moment”.
Japan reported its second death. A man in his 70s in the northernmost island of Hokkaido died on Saturday night after testing positive for Covid-19. Japan has said it plans to go ahead with the Tokyi Olympics scheduled for July and August.
The World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the Wuhan coronavirus, for which there is no specific cure or vaccine.
The UN agency advises people to:
- Frequently wash their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or warm water and soap
- Cover their mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when sneezing or coughing
- Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever or cough
- Seek early medical help if they have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and share their travel history with healthcare providers
- Avoid direct, unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals when visiting live markets in affected areas
- Avoid eating raw or undercooked animal products and exercise care when handling raw meat, milk or animal organs to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods.
Despite a surge in sales of face masks in the aftermath of the outbreak of the coronavirus outbreak, experts are divided over whether they can prevent transmission and infection. There is some evidence to suggest that masks can help prevent hand-to-mouth transmissions, given the large number of times people touch their faces. The consensus appears to be that wearing a mask can limit – but not eliminate – the risks, provided they are used correctly.
“I have decided we must make all efforts in the next one or two weeks to prevent the spread,” the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said in a press conference on Saturday.
As the World Health Organization raised the global risk level from the coronavirus to “very high”, countries have expanded travel restrictions and preventive measures.
France, which has recorded at least 100 coronavirus cases, has temporarily banned public gatherings of more than 5,000 people while Switzerland said it will bar events of more than 1,000.
American Airlines said it would suspend all flights to Milan, Italy, after the US raised travel warnings for parts of the country. Italy, home to at least 1,100 cases, has been the hardest hit European country, reporting 29 deaths caused by the virus.
The White House also said that travellers coming from South Korea would face additional screening and that those who have travelled to Iran in the last 14 days would be banned from entering the US. Starting on Sunday, Australia will also ban travellers from Iran.
In China, where officials and WHO experts say they have seen “steep declines”, authorities are still trying to grapple with public discontent over its handling of the crisis, and weeks of economic paralysis.
On Saturday, China published the country’s first official economic data since the outbreak began. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the manufacturing purchasing manager’s index, a measure of manufacturing activity, declined to 35.7 – an all-time low, and well below the 50-point mark which indicates a contraction.
In excerpts of speeches published by Qiushi, a journal run by the Chinese Communist party, the Chinese leader called on the country to plug “loopholes” in its emergency response system.
Xi Jinping, appearing to acknowledge some of the government’s mistakes, said some areas were “at a loss in how to react” to the epidemic. “In some areas there was lawless and criminal conduct that seriously impeded containment of the epidemic, causing public dissatisfaction,” he said.
