Reported cases all over the world - Coronavirus outbreak - Covid-19 pandemic (2020)

Coronavirus outbreak - Covid-19 pandemic (2020)

Reported cases all over the world

In mid-December, the first cases of corona virus were identified at Wuhan. The number of confirmed cases has since increased exponentially, and infections have been identified all over the world. Hospitals in Wuhan are already heavily overcrowded, and hundreds of emergency medical staff was sent to the region for assistance. Two new hospitals are also being constructed on the outskirts of the town dedicated to treating the virus.

The city's authorities said there were still more than 4,000 Wuhan residents overseas as of January 27. The Wuhan Culture and Tourism office said after the lockdown was announced all tour groups were cancelled, but groups that left before that date were still slowly returning to the region. More than a dozen countries have reported Wuhan virus cases, as authorities are struggling to avoid its spread.

More than 100 people died from a corona virus outbreak that began in Wuhan, China, and more than 4,600 people across 17 countries were infected. The virus, characterized like symptoms by fevers and pneumonia, probably originated in a wet market in Wuhan, an 11-million-person city in Hubei province of China. Authorities placed Wuhan under quarantine on January 23—stopping all public transport, including city buses, trains, and ferries. The order would bar any bus or train from entering or leaving the city and will land all planes at Wuhan airport. Wuhan authorities also started the next day to restrict car travel, The Guardian reported.

Huanggang City (which is home to about 7.5 million people) also locked up last week as authorities closed down subway stations and train stations. Ten additional cities— Chibi, Enshi, Ezhou, Huangshi, Suizhou, Qianjjiang, Xianning, Xiantao, Yichang, and Zhijiang — have followed suit with their own travel restrictions by the next day. The cities of Xiangyang, Jingmen, Xiaogan, and Dangyang were also in quarantine as of Monday.

Wuhan is China's fifth-largest city and has a size of over 3,200 square miles. In contrast, there are about 8 million people in New York City— nearly 3 million fewer than Wuhan. The town is divided into three districts: Hankou, Wuchang, and Hanyang, with rivers flowing in between. Most people work in one district and live in another, so the inter-district travel ban is disrupting the usual workings of the community. People are no longer allowed to leave Wuhan without a "special reason," according to local authorities.

Meanwhile, officials in Huanggang ordered the closing of cinemas and internet cafes, and instructed people not to leave the city unless there were special circumstances, Reuters said. Long-distance buses and trains to the city have been halted. The nearby town of Ezhou, too, closed its train stations, while bus travel in two smaller towns, Chibi and Zhijiang, was halted. Such quarantines come among the festivities of the Lunar New Year, which began on Saturday. The annual holiday typically fills the country's trains, buses, bridges, and ferries, as 3 billion people travel home to be with their families. The Chinese government, however, has requested people to cancel plans to visit Wuhan, and last week the government in Beijing cancelled its Spring Festival activities.

Several countries across Asia have put additional screening at airports and warned people not to fly to China. Neighboring Mongolia has placed tight border controls on travelers coming into the country to China's north. Indonesia and the Philippines have both imposed additional restrictions on Chinese tourists, while Japan has upgraded its response, allowing authorities to "strengthen suspected hospitalization and testing cases." Around one hundred cases have been reported worldwide, with most of them 14 found in Thailand, a popular destination for Chinese tourists. Countries with colder climates are more likely to spread in the future, as corona viruses thrive in cold environments and do not replicate in warm, hot areas as well. Nevertheless, in a patient in Illinois the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first case of human-to-human corona virus transmission in the U.S. The transmission took place between a husband and wife, who were in close touch with each other. The partner, who was a woman in her 60s, had traveled to Wuhan, China, and was diagnosed last week with the virus. The husband, who also resided in his 60s in Chicago, and who has underlying health issues, had not traveled to China. The risk to the general public in Illinois remains low, "state health officials emphasized”. They said they don't think the virus spreads widely in neighborhoods and are working to ensure that health care workers are safe at the facility where the patient is being treated. On Thursday night, the State Department released a" Do Not Fly "advisory to China, its strongest warning. The Level 4 warning was already in effect for the outbreak's heart, Wuhan. It also advised Americans to leave via commercial flights in China. The new corona virus is under investigation for 165 people in the United States. Of those, 68 tested negative, and six tested positives. Tests of the remaining individuals are in transit or have reports pending.

Twenty American airports check travelers for symptoms of illness and provide corona virus signs to people returning from China with educational materials. Several flights to China have been suspended by airlines around the world— United, Delta, American Airlines, British Airways, Air Seoul, Lion Air, Lufthansa Group, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Air Asia, Air India, Air Canada, All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines and Korean Air.

The US government chartered a flight from Wuhan, China to evacuate 196 Americans. Such evacuees were screened and monitored before and during their flight for signs of illness. The passengers have entered voluntary three-day quarantine since arriving in California and will be given virus monitoring according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although most recorded cases outside of China have a direct link to Wuhan, there are signs that the virus is starting to spread within other countries. In Germany, three fresh cases have been stated including what is believed to be the first human-to-human transmission in Europe. Multiple countries have advised that people do not visit China due to the ongoing outbreak. The US Base for Disease Regulator and Prevention (CDC) has released a Level 3 warning recommending against all "non-essential travel"— the highest alert on a scale of 1 to 3. The White House, however, denied reports that it was planning to cancel all US-China flights.

With many of China seeing the sort of cold weather suitable for corona virus, and continuing doubt about how contagious it is, experts expect the number of cases to continue to rise for several weeks. Zhong Nanshan, one of the leading breathing experts in China and a hero of the 2003 war against SARS, said he anticipated the peak to arrive in up to 10 days. Definitely, it is very difficult to estimate when the epidemic occurs. But it will hit the pinnacle in one week or about 10 days and then there will be no large-scale rises.

Other experts have warned, however, that while the Hubei outbreak could peak in the coming weeks, other Chinese megacities may see self-sustaining epidemics that continue to spread the pathogen across the country and around the world. An Australian laboratory became the first outside of China to develop the Wuhan corona virus from a sample of patients. This will "provide crucial information to foreign specialist laboratories to help combat the virus. We model epidemic curves up to August 2020 for all major city clusters: Chongqing, Shanghai-Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Beijing. Chongqing is expected to have the largest epidemic due to large population and the most extreme volume of traffic combined with Wuhan.

Ecuador

On 26 January Ecuador was one of the first countries outside Mainland China to announce a suspected case of corona virus. The Chinese resident, who was 49, arrived from Hong Kong and showed symptoms of the infection. The Ministry of Health of Ecuador confirmed on February 05 the alleged case of corona virus tested negative.

Botswana

In Botswana a total of five suspect cases of corona virus infection have been identified. All of the cases tested negative for the infection as confirmed by Botswana government on February 05. On January 30 the first reported case of corona virus in Botswana was registered, the Ministry of Health and Wellness announced on January 31st. The suspect arrived from China on an Ethiopian Airways flight, is isolated and under investigation.

Czech Republic

Until the end of February 04, a total of 48 individuals were screened for the novel corona virus and all of them tested negative, the Czech Ministry of Health has confirmed. Respilon Group, a Czech-based nanofibre-technology company, announced it was developing a new face mask that could limit the spread of corona virus.

Namibia

On 1 February Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) announced that a 30-year-old woman with symptoms similar to those of corona virus is being observed in a hospital in Swakopmund, Namibia. The woman had visited Melbourne, Australia and arrived at the international airport in Hosea Kutako. He noticed that their flight back included Chinese passengers wearing masks and coughing. The Namibia Ministry of Health reported the news of the suspect case, NBC added. The Namibian Minister of Health announced on 03 February that the alleged case has tested negative.

Peru

The Peruvian Ministry of Health reported in its most recent February 03 update that there are no confirmed cases of corona virus in the region. The ministry announced earlier on January 31 that all four alleged to have tested negative corona virus.

Maldives

Maldives, which is already working hard to control a measles outbreak, witnessed a male who arrived from Xiamen, China, on 30 January in the first reported case of corona virus. Six other cases of Malvidians who traveled to China were subsequently identified. The Ministry of Health of Maldives confirmed on 03 February that all cases had tested negative for the virus.

Myanmar

A Chinese visitor's first suspected case of corona virus in Myanmar was registered on 31 January. The visitor arrived from Guangzhou, on a flight from China Southern Airlines in Yangon. Of the remaining 78 passengers that the flight carried, only two were allowed to disembark the plane, while the remaining 76 were not, Anadolu Agency reported. Nevertheless, Myanmar reported that the suspected case has checked the virus as negative.

Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire)

The Ivory Coast confirmed one suspected case of corona virus infection on 26 January 2020. The woman, a 34-year-old female student, had arrived in the Ivory Coast from Beijing to Abidjan. She was placed in solitary confinement and was healthy during the observation period. Her samples have tested negative for corona virus, officials announced.

Ethiopia

It was confirmed that four people suspected of contracting the corona virus infection and put in isolation in Addis Abeba had tested negative for the infection. Four of them are students who study at Wuhan City Universities.

Kenya

On 30 January 2020 Kenya announced that the first confirmed case of corona virus infection had tested negative. The case was a Guangzhou traveler who showed symptoms of the disease, first published on 28 January 2020. He was first placed in solitary confinement at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport upon arrival and then isolated at Kenyatta National Hospital's Infectious Disease Unit. Test results revealed the sufferer was common cold but not the infection of corona virus.

Austria

A total of seven Austrians who came from China and quarantined at the Hygiene Center Vienna on February 04 tested negative for corona virus infection. On February 2 the seven people arrived in Austria and areolate as a precautionary measure.

Mexico

Seven suspected cases of corona virus infection recorded in City Mexico, all of which tested negative on January 27. The suspected cases included a 42-year-old man, who visited Wuhan recently, and a 37-year-old woman and a two-year-old girl who came in touch with the man. Actually they receive medical treatment for other respiratory diseases. In Jalisco 20 January a further three cases were reported.

New Zealand

Tested negative on 31 February the first reported case confirmed in New Zealand. Dr Ashley Bloomfield, the Director-General of Health, announced the test results on 1 February. The individual was accused of contracting the disease and was held at Auckland City Hospital in solitary confinement.

Cyprus

According to the Cyprus News a man from China who was accused of contracting the infection with corona virus tested negative on 2 February 2020. The man was put under quarantine at the General Hospital of Nicosia on January 31, after showing symptoms of the illness.

Croatia

According to Total Croatia News, a man held in solitary confinement at Split KBC hospital for showing symptoms of corona virus infection tested negative on 03 February. He was suspected of having contracted the infection after visiting China recently on 2 February.

Switzerland

According to SWI, on 28 January two suspected cases of corona virus infection had tested negative. The two cases were first identified on January 27 and placed in solitary confinement at Zurich's Triemli hospital. The people had recently visited China, and returned with infection symptoms.

Greece

According to the Greek City Times, a sixty-year-old man suspected of contracting corona virus has tested negative for the disease. The man had been put under quarantine at the General Hospital of AHEPA University.

Denmark

Denmark has confirmed that as of February 04 all those screened for suspected corona virus have turned out negative. The most recent tests have been on those arriving from Wuhan at Roskilde Airport. Earlier, a Danish woman who returned from Wuhan with infection symptoms was isolated and examined at Aarhus University Hospital. The test has been proven negative.

Ireland

Ireland suspected a person who came from Wuhan to be infected with corona virus and admitted him to the Royal Victoria Hospital, but the health department announced that the tests were negative, the BBC reported on 25 January.

On 31 January the World Health Organization identified 13 countries on the continent of Africa as at risk for corona virus infection. Such nations include Algeria, Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, the DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Either they have direct links to China or they manage a large volume of trips to China. Active screening programs were implemented at all of those countries ' major airports.