The spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus or COVID-19 has sent ripples of panic all across the globe. What was thought to be a localized threat in China has quickly grown into an epidemic that has spread into Italy, Iran and South Korea.
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva on Wednesday called for an all-out, “no regrets” response to the new coronavirus epidemic which poses a “serious threat” to the global economy.
The death toll in the United States from the novel coronavirus rose to 11 on Wednesday, as lawmakers in Congress agreed to provide more than US$8 billion to fight the rapidly spreading disease.
Argentina and Chile both said on Tuesday they had confirmed their first case of the novel coronavirus in patients who recently returned from travels. A 43-year-old infected Argentine man had returned from Italy on March 1, while a 33-year-old Chilean man had spent a month in southeast Asia.
A growing number of discharged coronavirus patients in China and elsewhere are testing positive after recovering, sometimes weeks after being allowed to leave the hospital, which could make the epidemic harder to eradicate.
As the current outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) continues to develop, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) are committed to working together in guiding the travel and tourism sectors’ response to COVID-19.
The coronavirus epidemic caused more death and disruption on Tuesday spreading to new countries as a top health official warned the world was “simply not ready” to contain it. Even as the number of fresh cases declines at the epicenter of the disease in China, there has been a sudden increase in parts of Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
The Argentine government has started to implement additional controls to identify potential cases of coronavirus in flights from Italy, where the number of Covid-19 infections keeps increasing. Additionally, the first case confirmed in South America has been a Brazilian businessman who for work reasons visited the north of Italy.
Brazil's Ministry of Health, in conjunction with the state and municipal departments of São Paulo, has confirmed a case of Coronavirus disease in the municipality of São Paulo. The business man had travelled this month to the north of Italy.
Iran's deputy health minister confirmed on Tuesday that he has been infected with the new coronavirus, amid a major outbreak in the Islamic republic that have fuelled fears of a contagion in the region. Iraj Harirchi coughed occasionally and appeared to be sweating during a press conference on Monday with government spokesman Ali Rabiei.