Outbreak of novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV

Badly affected by the epidemic, Beijing wants to restore normal economic relations with its southern neighbours. China is the bloc's top trading partner and a major investor. Almost all Southeast Asian countries have reduced exchanges with mainland China. Bad relations between China and Vietnam could impact on anti-coronavirus cooperation.

Shanghai and Shenzhen continue to recover after a new interest rate cut decided by the central bank. However, factories are struggling to resume activities due to the lack of manpower and movement restrictions. Liquidity injections are likely to do little to help small and medium-sized businesses.

In China, 74,675 infections were detected; the total death toll is 2,121. 21% of patients are in critical condition. The number of suspected infections is 4,922. But 16,168 people have recovered from the disease. Outside China, 26 countries report a total of 1,050 contagion episodes and seven deaths.

On WeChat, the renowned law scholar slams the dearth of information about the crisis. In his view, “without press freedom, people will live in distress and the government in mendacity.” A supporter of Liu Xiaobo and Charter 08, He calls for the implementation of the rule of law in China.

But Beijing reports the lowest number of new infections in the current month. Outside Hubei, only 56 new cases have been reported, falling for the 15th consecutive day. Russia announces the closure of its borders to Chinese citizens. The spike in South Korea due to a "super greaser".

80% of Chinese state-owned enterprises return to work, but national GDP is estimated to drop to 5%. Kickbacks for all major Asian economies, especially Japan and India. Taiwan and South Korea are expected to limit the damage. Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam are also slowing down.

Protestant websites first mentioned his conversion, but no one in Wuhan’s Christian communities can confirm that claim. He did however join a chat room about Christianity, and so perhaps was "seeker of the faith". The right way to honour him is to guarantee freedom of speech and freedom.

The testimony of a PIME missionary in Hong Kong. "My thoughts go to empty churches, here in Hong Kong, Macau and in many cities in mainland China." "Working from home, schools and universities closed until March: all this increases the pressure and sometimes makes some people react in unreasonable ways".

In just 14% of infections, serious conditions such as pneumonia develop. The latest data from the Chinese authorities speak of 72,528 infections and 1,870 total deaths. The number of new deaths in China has decreased for the third consecutive day; the infections outside Hubei decreased for the 14th consecutive day. Beijing publishes largest research to date on Covid-19.

Chinese companies make 15 million protective masks per day, but domestic demand is between 50 and 60 million. Local and foreign companies are encouraged to provide their own protective gear. In Hong Kong, a mask costs US.40.

Laos will host the meeting next Thursday. Thailand has confirmed 35 cases; Japan; 518; and Singapore, 75. The Covid-19 outbreak will negative impact the city-state’s GDP. The local Catholic Church has suspended all public services indefinitely. Analysts are waiting to see whether China's ties with its neighbours will be affected by restrictions on travel and exchanges.

Msgr. Zhu Baoyu fell ill on February 3, now he is out of danger. The "People's Daily" dedicated an article and a video to him. The memory of a PIME missionary.

Of all those affected by the virus, 18% are in very critical condition. An international team of experts sent by the WHO is in Beijing to study ways of collaboration to contain the epidemic. Controversy over silence and delays continues. One historian: "The Chinese health system is very weak, overcrowded, inefficient, expensive and chaotic".

Africa enters the list of continents infected with the first case found in Egypt.  The death toll is 1,524, including six doctors.  An ordinance imposing a 14-day quarantine on all those returning to the city after the Lunar New Year enters into force in Beijing.

Shanghai and Shenzhen almost recovered to pre-Lunar New Year levels. The Chinese authorities continue to inject liquidity into the system. The country's economy is expected to grow 5.5% in 2020, after a drop in the first quarter.

The authorities check that nobody leaves their house. Only in the past few days have those who have a job outside been allowed to leave the village. Masses and religious activities canceled until further notice by the Religious Affairs Office. A picture of daily life in a village in central China, at the heart of the coronavirus epidemic.

The confirmed cases of infection are 63,932, the victims 1,381. 6,728 people recovered from hospitals. There is still no agreed estimate of how many fell ill in Wuhan. For the WHO there have been no "dramatic increases" in coronavirus cases outside China. Vietnam isolates a village of 10,000 inhabitants.

Card. Tong announces special pastoral measures. The only religious activities that will not be suspended are weddings and funerals. Parishes and chapels will remain open. The changes will also affect Lent and Easter.

Participants observed a minute's silence. The Marian shrine, which is located in the Diocese of Berhampur (Odisha), draws the faithful of all religions. “The only source of true happiness is the Lord,” says the local bishop.

The sharp increase in cases has important political consequences: the party leader in the province is removed and replaced. At the national level, the infections reach 59,883 and the dead are 1,368. In the rest of the world, 490 people are infected and only one person has died.

At least 63 million firms could close in the next three months. Hospitals and export firms also have a liquidity problem. Container traffic in Chinese ports has fallen by 20 per cent. The government has responded with expansionary measures that could however harm the banks.

The majority of deaths (almost 96%) are in Hubei, the epicenter of the infection. The confirmed cases are 44742; suspected cases 16,067. So far the virus has spread to 24 countries, infecting 441 people and killing one. WHO gives the virus its official name: Covid-19.

The list of people arrested and put "in isolation" over their concern for the coronavirus is getting longer. It includes: journalist and lawyer Chen Qiushi, philosophy professor Zhou Xuanyi, activist Guo Quan, "martyred" Dr Li Wenliang, Xie Linka of the Tumour Centre of Wuhan Union Hospital, and Liu Wen of the neurology department of the Red Cross Society Hospital. Doubts are growing about the WHO, which hasn’t conducted any independent check. Western countries have isolated China, but have also kept silent about its actions.

Yesterday the deadliest day since last January. Several Wuhan health authorities resign, replaced by authorities sent from Beijing. The appearance, with a mask, of Xi Jinping. The collapse of Wuhan hospital facilities. Two other doctors suffer the same fate as Li Wenliang: silenced by the police for having raised the alarm on the epidemic.

The Wuhan coronavirus epidemic has so far left over a thousand victims in China, while the number of people infected is 43,000. Outside China, the country most affected is Japan with 161 infected (of which about 140 are passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship), followed by Singapore (45), Thailand (33) and South Korea (28). In Europe and North America only a few dozen cases have occurred. There are no official confirmations of infections in Africa and Latin America. To counter the spread of the coronavirus, several governments have introduced travel restrictions to and from China.

The hospitals built in Wuhan in just a few days are the work of 7,000 migrant workers, who slaved away 24 hours a day underpaid. And some have become infected.

Locked down in their universities, students have had problems finding basic necessities. The Bangladeshi government is preventing them from returning from China, whilst the country's economy is experiencing the first negative repercussions of the epidemic.

Official figures: 909 dead; 40235 confirmed cases; 23589 suspected cases. Sars deaths have been overtaken. The shortage of medical supplies continues. Millions of Chinese are returning to work today. In Beijing health checks for all those who return to the city. New WHO visit to China. Guo Wengui estimates 50,000 virus deaths; 1.5 million infected.

An open letter demands that 6 February, the day of the doctor's death, be ‘Freedom of Speech Day’. It also calls on the government to publicly apologise for trying to silence Li, and demands respect for the Chinese Constitution which (in theory) upholds free speech. The People's Daily is silent on police threats against Li Wenliang. The hashtag "Dr. Li Wenliang has passed away” received 670 million visitors, whilst the hashtag "Li Wenliang has passed away" received 230 million views. The death toll in China from the coronavirus now stands at 723 deaths (more than during the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak).

Led by the US, many countries are demanding that Taiwan be accepted by the organisation. Beijing's opposition complicates Taiwanese efforts to contain the epidemic. Taipei complains that international flights to the island have been cancelled because WHO treats it as part of China.

People have stocked up on rice, pork, chicken, fruit, vegetables, and seafood. The supply of surgical masks, rubber gloves, and disinfectants has run out. The number of coronavirus-affected cases now stands at 24. The virus is now spreading directly through local contacts unrelated with the mainland.

China is the largest air transport market after the United States. The main companies have suspended or reduced flights to Chinese airports. The carriers of Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea are the most exposed to the downturn.

Russian tourists repatriated from China. Their odyssey ends in a Siberian sanatorium. The drop in oil prices. Chinese imports fall; infrastructures (gas and oil pipelines) at risk; losses on payments in yuan. Apocalyptic forecasts and conspiracy theories. Silence on the number of sick people.

His death, announced at 9.30pm yesterday evening, was "delayed" by the authorities until 3am. Li Wenliang had reported the epidemic as early as December, but the police silenced him by denouncing him for "fake news". Online criticism demands "freedom of expression" for the Chinese. In Wuhan there is a shortage of doctors: the sick remain without treatment for days.

As a result of internal strife, 106,305 people have lived in IDP camps since 2011. Caritas is currently boosting its actions to prevent the spread of the virus to the facilities. For its national director, “the country’s Catholic community is ready to mobilise” in case of need.

The 14-day quarantine applies to Chinese, Hong Kong people, foreigners. The strike continues for medical personnel who want the total closure of the borders with China. A ship with 3600 passengers stranded at the Kai Tak terminal. The diocese advises the faithful not to go to mass to avoid large gatherings. It is suggested to pray at home with the bible, follow mass on television, recite the rosary. Those who go to church are asked to use masks, stay away from each other, not to sing.

Shenzhen and Shanghai rebounded on positive ground after central bank interventions. But experts predict problems for the real economy. Chinese GDP estimated below expectations in 2020, with devastating effects for Hong Kong and neighboring countries.

The number of victims rise to 563. Infections to 28,018; 3694 more cases in one day. Suspected cases also jump 5328 to a total of 24,702. you can get infected in 15 seconds. A newborn baby got sick 30 hours after birth. Doctors work for at least 12 consecutive hours, without breaks, without eating, without going to the bathroom because there are not enough suits to change. The Party apologizes for not having many beds available.

The Auxiliary Bishop of Manila releases a message on the global health emergency. “All through history,” he writes, “we have seen that plagues have been stopped not only through medical means but also through prayers and great acts of charity.”

The number of cases in China now stands at 24,363 with 491 deaths, 74 per cent in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei and epicentre of the epidemic. Here the infection-related death rate is 4.9 per cent against 2.1 per cent nation-wide. The Communist Party acknowledges “shortcomings and deficiencies" in responding to the outbreak.

Dili had asked to quarantine them. The provincial authorities refused on the basis of considerations and contributions from various tour operators on the island. As of today, the suspension of flights to and from China enters into force.

The young researcher Domenico Benvenuto, from the Biomedical Campus of Rome, managed to discover the mutant gene that allowed the coronavirus to pass from bats to humans. The Roman university has been collaborating with Chinese scholars since the SARS epidemic. To combat the virus, quarantine and isolation are useful, racist and synophobic attitudes are useless. The young researcher was born in the same city as Giovanni da Montecorvino, first bishop of Beijing (1247-1328).

The Bishops’ Conference issues instructions for communities across the country. The faithful are urged to pray for the victims of the disease and for doctors seeking a speedy treatment. Nine cases have been confirmed in Vietnam. The government temporarily shuts down schools.

The man who died in Hong Kong had been in Wuhan on January 21st. He infected his mother, who lived with him. He already had some disease. Chief executive Carrie Lam closes almost all ports and routes of communication with China. In the country, the number of infected rises to 20,472; 23,214 cases not yet confirmed. Another 151 cases are registered in 23 countries worldwide. The Politburo admits "shortcomings and difficulties" in managing the epidemic. Macau closes casinos.

Official and underground bishops call on the faithful to pray and fast for the good of China. Homes have become places of unregistered religious activities. Children join in prayers. In north-eastern China, religion-inspired greetings are banned. Under house arrest since 2012, Mgr Ma Daqin posts a message online.

After one case has been reported in the country, people rushed to get a mask. After two days, the panic ebbed following the government’s information campaign. PIME missionary notes that Cambodians do not resent the Chinese.

So far, 361 people have died, more than during the SARS outbreak. Some 475 have been released from hospitals. The confirmed cases of infection number 17,238 with another 21.558 suspected. The new Fire God hospital opens tomorrow for a thousand patients. The military is supervising the distribution of basic necessities in supermarkets. Hospitals are running out medical supplies, whilst the Red Cross is sitting on full warehouses.

Shanghai and Shenzhen open in sharp decline after a week. Steps taken by Chinese authorities have proven insufficient to shield the economy. The Chinese tourism industry lost US$ 144 billion over the Lunar New Year holidays.

The returnees will spend 14 days of quarantine in a military facility on the island of Natuna. For days the local population has protested against the government plan for fear of infection. Priest: "If someone gets sick, they are treated by the army and there would be no direct contact."

The masks are a gift from the Holy See and the Chinese Christian communities in Italy. Card. Konrad Krajewski, the papal almsgiver;  director of the Vatican pharmacy, Fr. Thomas Binish; Fr. Vincenzo Handuo, vice-rector of the Pontifical Urbanianum College in charge of organisation. The masks will be distributed in Hubei, Zhejiang, Fujian. China Southern Airlines took care of transporting them for free to China.

Prayer, compassion, solidarity, while the inhabitants of Wuhan who have arrived in other cities are treated "like rats".  The story of the first week of emergency.  The pope's prayer.  Meanwhile, the number of deaths due to the infection has risen to 259;  11,823 are infected in China and 129 abroad.

The virus is already damaging consumer rates and tourism.  Economies that depend on Chinese demand are at risk.  The multinationals are evacuating the employees of the plants located in the areas affected by the epidemic.  Wuhan generates a turnover of 214 billion US dollars, approximately 1.6% of Chinese GDP.

About half of the citizens who applied for evacuation.  Internally displaced persons without symptoms will have to spend 14 days in isolation inside two public provincial structures.  The authorities confirm four other cases of contagion: 11 people are infected in the country.  Popular resistance to housing the sick in quarantine facilities.

The WHO director general says the decision "is not a vote of no confidence in China".  Concern that "the virus will spread to countries with weaker health systems".  Many countries block communications with Beijing.  Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France and the United States evacuate their compatriots.  Tang Zhihong, chief of health from Huanggang City, is fired.  The Wuhan government was too slow to respond to the first signs of an epidemic, "perhaps because of a lack of scientific knowledge" about the new type of virus, but also because of "hesitation in the decision-making process".

Seoul is preparing to evacuate the first group of about 720 citizens from the epicenter of the emergency.  Officials and residents of Jincheon and Asan raise the barricades against their transfer to two public facilities.  The total number of infected people in South Korea has reached six.

The World Health Organization (WHO) meets today to discuss whether or not the virus represents a "global health crisis".  In these hours, the voluntary evacuations of hundreds of foreign citizens residing in the epicenter of the emergency are underway.

The National Health Commission reports that the death toll for the virus identified as "2019-nCoV" has risen to 132. Confirmed cases of infection are 5,974.  In 2003, Sars infected 5,327 people and killed 349 in mainland China;  another 299 in Hong Kong.

Although the government has decreed to send 150 military medics experienced with SARS and another 4,000 from other parts of the country, in Hubei (and China), there are no protective suits, goggles, hygiene masks rendering the employment of these new doctors impractical, if not putting them at risk of contagion.  Deaths rise to 132, confirmed infections are now more than 6 thousand.

Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, announces seven new measures to contain the outbreak. China’s latest health crisis coincides with Lunar New Year celebrations. Tourists have been spreading the virus, causing panic in Southeast Asia.

The first case involves a woman from China’s Hubei province who arrived on a tourist visa on 19 January. Visitors are not allowed in the country’s international airport. Two toll-free numbers provide information about the infection. Returning Sri Lankan students in China will be placed under quarantine.

4,515 The confirmed cases, almost 7 thousand await confirmation.  In just 24 hours, 1,680 more people contract the lung infection.  Another 6,000 medical staff members have been mobilized to combat the spread of the virus in Hubei province.  Foreign governments devise ways to extract their citizens from the capital of Wuhan.

Two confirmed cases have been reported, but 11 people are under observation. Chinese tourists have crossed the border into Vietnam for the Lunar New Year, but many have decided to stay home believing that this will limit their risk of contracting the virus. For Vietnamese and foreign experts, the country could become the second most infected.

Almost half of the infections occurred in the province of Hubei, the epicenter of the epidemic.  Hong Kong, where there are eight cases, has imposed a ban on access to those who have visited the area in the past 14 days.  Thailand is among the Asian countries with the highest number of infected people.  The virus has already reached Oceania, America and Europe.

The patient is a 30-year-old woman from Wuhan. It is not clear whether she is Japanese or Chinese. Fearing xenophobic reactions, the authorities are maintaining maximum confidentiality about those infected. Fear hasn’t stopped lunar New Year celebrations. Yesterday thousands of people watched the Tokyo Tower lit in red to usher in the Year of the White Rat.

Dr Liang Wudong is the first victim among medical staff. As of 11 am today, some 1,326 cases of infection have been reported, 729 in Hubei alone. The death toll has risen to 41, doubling in a single day. In Guangxi, a two-year-old girl is the youngest patient. Three cases have been confirmed in France, one in Australia and one in Nepal. Hospitals are having to cope with shortage of beds.

The origin of the virus lies in the consumption of wild animals, in particular that of "flying foxes", known as "fruit bats". For China's wealthy elite, eating rare and unusual things has become fashionable. Eight people reported the epidemic as early as January 1, but were arrested for "spreading fake news".

East Asia and Asian communities around the world are preparing for lunar New Year celebrations, which begin tomorrow. A new dangerous coronavirus outbreak is however complicating things. Other factors also bode ill for the festivities. In South Korea, many people are stressed out by the New Year. Considered the bearer of good luck for thousands of years, the rat has come to be regarded as a dangerous and disease-carrying fiend.

Infections increase. More cities quarantined in Hubei. Authorities advise people to stay at home for treatment. Hospital facilities are overcrowded and lack medicine and masks. A new hospital center for infectious diseases is being built quickly in Wuhan. The party secretary general sends greetings to the nation, Hong Kong and Macao, but no word on the epidemic.

Huanggang, a city of 6 million residents, is on a lockdown. University of Hong Kong virologist Guan Yi warns the new coronavirus outbreak could be ten times worse as the 2003 SARS epidemic. So far 17 deaths have been reported out of 583 confirmed cases, 571 in China and 12 in Thailand, Korea South, Japan, the United States, Hong Kong and Macau.

From 10 this morning trains, buses, ferries and planes blocked. Medical checks on the roads for those who leave the city by car. Obligation to wear medical masks in public places. Hospitals are overcrowded with patients.

Mandatory quarantine measures to contain infections. The Wuhan city council gave indications not to leave the city except in really necessary cases. The Catholic churches of Wuhan, Hankow, Wuchang closed. All daily masses and New Year masses cancelled. New cases of infection in Macau, in the USA, in Taiwan. Criticism of Chinese health system.

The fourth victim is an 89-year-old man who lived in Wuhan, the epicenter of the infection. Another 15 medical workers who treated infected patients are hospitalized with the same symptoms. Worldwide countries have airport checks on flights from China.

The victim is a 35-year-old woman who visited Wuhan, considered the epicenter of the infection. In addition to South Korea and China, there are infected in Japan and Thailand. Over 130 new infections and one more death in Wuhan. Infections revealed in Beijing, Shenzhen and Zhejiang. The fear of a new Sars.

The mysterious new coronavirus has infected at least 1,700 people in Asia, research shows. The US issues a warning against travel in central China. Concerns have been raised about the upcoming Lunar New Year, a period with the largest mass movement in the world.

The man had been in Wuhan, a city in central China where the new coronavirus originated. It is the second case discovered outside of China after the hospitalization of a woman in Thailand. Asian governments take precautions in anticipation of the Lunar New Year, when the influx of Chinese tourists will increase.

The new coronavirus strain has infected so far 59 people in Wuhan, a city in central China. No deaths have been reported and eight patients have been discharged from the hospital. Researchers still have to determine which animal is the source of the virus, its incubation period and the transmission route. A vaccine may take years.

Authorities are trying to identify the cause of the infection.  Between 2003 and 2004, severe acute respiratory syndrome killed 349 people in mainland China and 299 others in Hong Kong.  The World Health Organization (WHO) criticized China for underestimating the number of cases.