China reports the most coronavirus deaths in one day as total surpasses 1,000; US confirms 13th case

All but two of the 1,018 deaths attributed to the outbreak that emerged in December have taken place in mainland China.

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A couple wearing protective face masks wait for a bus in Shanghai on February 11, 2020.

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China reported its highest daily coronavirus death toll Tuesday, the 103 additional fatalities pushing the total past 1,000 and providing a somber warning that the epidemic represents “a very grave threat to the rest of the world.”

All but two of the 1,018 deaths attributed to the outbreak that emerged in December have taken place in mainland China. The virus is continuing to spread into other countries, with almost 500 of the 43,138 confirmed cases elsewhere. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week reported the 13th case in the U.S.

The 103 deaths broke the daily record set one day earlier, when 97 deaths were reported.

“The rise in mortality cases is concerning,” Ogbonnaya Omenka, an assistant professor and public health specialist at Butler University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, told USA TODAY. “In China, health workers are overstretched, and diagnostic processes are not keeping up with the cases.”

A team from the World Health Organization arrived in China this week to “lay the groundwork for a larger international team” that will aid the Chinese effort while learning traits of the outbreak that could aid global efforts, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“With 99% of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world,” Tedros said. “It’s hard to believe that just two months ago, this virus – which has come to captivate the attention of media, financial markets, and political leaders – was completely unknown to us.”

Quarantine ends for some American evacuees

Almost 200 people evacuated from Wuhan, China on the first charter flight from the country were being released Tuesday, Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She the 195 people had been monitored for symptoms of the respiratory virus for the past 14 days, the maximum incubation time. None had common symptoms such as fever or coughing.

Of the 800 people evacuated on five separate charter flights, only one person has been confirmed with coronavirus, Schuchat said.

US workers at Hong Kong consulate given OK to leave

The State Department has authorized the voluntary departure of non-emergency employees at the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong. One death and 49 coronavirus cases have been reported in the administrative region of China. The decision to allow employees and their families the option of leaving was made “out of an abundance of caution,” a department spokesperson said in a statement. The status will be reviewed in 30 days, the statement said.

Coronavirus gets new name

WHO announced a formal name for the coronavirus – COVID-19. Tedros said officials needed a name that did not refer to a geographical location, an animal, an individual or group of people. It also had to be pronounceable and related to the disease, he said.

”Having a name matters, to prevent the use of other names that can be inaccurate or stigmatizing,” he said. “It also gives us a standard format to use for any future coronavirus outbreaks.”

13th US case confirmed

The CDC confirmed the 13th coronavirus case Monday. The case, detected in California, involved a patient under a federal quarantine order at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego after recently returning from Wuhan, China.

Wuhan and Hubei province are where the outbreak of respiratory illness caused by the virus was discovered in December 2019. 

The CDC said it was conducting a thorough “contact investigation” of the person who has tested positive to determine whether friends, relatives or others are should be deemed high-risk.

About 800 Americans evacuated from Wuhan remain under quarantine.

World coronavirus summit underway

WHO, which declared a global emergency two weeks ago, on Tuesday convened a two-day global forum to encourage international action and fast track new tests, treatments and vaccines aimed at curtailing the outbreak. The forum, meeting in Geneva with some experts attending remotely, includes scientists, researchers from public health agencies, regulatory experts and bioethicists with expertise in research emergencies.

”We want you to know that we stand with you in solidarity and we wish you courage, patience, success and good health in these extremely trying circumstances,” Tedros told participants.

Japan may let elderly exit quarantined cruise ship

The Japanese government is considering a plan to release some elderly passengers with chronic illnesses from a cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama over coronavirus infection fears, multiple media outlets in Japan report. 

A total of 135 of the 3,700 people aboard have tested positive for the virus.

The government had asked about 3,600 passengers and crew members to stay on board during the two-week isolation period through Feb. 19 in an effort to contain the spread of the pneumonia-causing disease. Many passengers have struggled with their prolonged isolation on the ship. About 80% of the 2,666 passengers are 60 or older, with 215 in their 80s and 11 in their 90s, authorities say.

Masahiro Kami, head of the nonprofit Medical Governance Research Institute, said that elderly people with chronic illnesses could suffer rapid aggravations of their health conditions due to stress if confined to cramped cabins.

“They will be susceptible to virus infection and risk their lives,” Kami told Kyodo News.

Read more at usatoday.com.

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