Corona virus global epidemic

[Salted Cola]

China virus death toll leaps to 80 despite massive lockdown

AFP, Wuhan, China

 

The toll from China's viral epidemic spiked on Monday to 80 dead with hundreds of new infections despite unprecedented quarantines and travel lockdowns, as foreign governments scrambled to help their trapped citizens.

 

The virulence of a contagion causing fear nationwide has prompted authorities to impose transport curbs around China to cut off transmission routes, and extend a national holiday to delay people travelling back to work.

With many thousands of foreigners trapped in the ground-zero city of Wuhan, which is under a virtual lockdown, the United States and France were among several countries formulating plans to evacuate their citizens by plane.

With the coronavirus also expanding globally, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus headed to Beijing to meet with government officials on the crisis.

"My WHO colleagues and I would like to understand the latest developments and strengthen our partnership with China in providing further protection against the outbreak," he said on Twitter.

Tedros last week stopped short of declaring the outbreak an international public health emergency, which would have prompted more concerted international action including possible trade or travel restrictions.

Cases have been reported as far afield as France, the United States and Canada, with various countries in Asia also detecting cases. Those infected had previously been in China.

The new additions to China's death toll came entirely from the epicentre province of Hubei, which on Monday reported 24 fresh fatalities.

Most fatalities and overall cases have been in Hubei, and the government says the deaths have largely been elderly or people already weakened by pre-existing health conditions.

 

- Thousands of cases -

But China's National Health Commission said on Monday that in addition to 2,744 confirmed infections nationwide -- an increase of 769 -- there were nearly 6,000 suspected cases and more than 30,000 people under medical observation.

Hardest-hit has been Hubei's capital Wuhan, where the virus is suspected to have come from animals in a market selling a wide range of exotic wild game.

Wuhan has been under virtual lockdown for days, with transport halted and citizens told to stay at home.

The national government decided it would extend the Lunar New Year holiday and related school closures beyond the original January 30 end date to "reduce population flows," state media reported.

The holiday was extended to February 2.

Several cities responded, with new school terms delayed in Beijing until further notice, and Shanghai postponing until February 17.

The city of Suzhou in eastern Jiangsu province also ordered companies to extend the end of the holiday until February 9.

Hundreds of millions of Chinese travel long distances to gather with family members for the holiday, a key concern for authorities struggling to corral the highly contagious pathogen.

The previously unknown virus has caused global concern because of its similarity to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed hundreds across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003.

- 'Getting stronger' -

At a press briefing in Beijing on Sunday, the head of China's disease control agency, Gao Fu, said it was "not as powerful as SARS," but officials warned it could be getting stronger.

Shandong province in the east and four cities -- Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Tianjin -- have announced bans on long-distance buses entering or leaving, while some provinces and cities made it mandatory to wear face masks in public.

The United States and France were among a host of countries making arrangements to get their citizens out of Wuhan, a major industrial and transport hub of 11 million people.

The crisis has overwhelmed Wuhan's hospitals prompting authorities to send hundreds of medical reinforcements including military doctors, and start construction on two field hospitals.

Speaking at a press conference and wearing a face mask, Wuhan's mayor Zhou Xianwang said Sunday the city's medical staff were "very strained and tired".

Some foreigners in Wuhan pleaded to be evacuated, saying they were short on supplies.

"We want to be evacuated as soon as possible, because either the virus, the hunger or the fear will kill us," Mashal Jamalzai, a political science student from Afghanistan studying in Wuhan told AFP.

The Wuhan meat market at the epicentre sold a vast range of unusual dinner fare including rats, snakes and hedgehogs.

On Sunday, the government said it was banning all trade in wildlife until the emergency is over, but conservationists called for Beijing to make the ban permanent to reduce the possibility of future outbreaks.

[Salted Cola]

PM has instructed on bringing back Bangladeshis from China: Shahriar Alam

 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given directives to bring back Bangladeshi nationals who are now in coronavirus-stricken China and want to return, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said in a Facebook post this morning.

“I have already started discussion with the Chinese government in this regard,” the state minister said in the post.

The process to bring back the Bangladeshis will depend on the local administration’s consent in the context of the current situation, he said.

“Our main target is to ensure security of the citizens of our country,” the state minister said.  

A preliminary instruction will be issued later in the day over preparing a list of the Bangladeshi nationals willing to return from China.

Earlier, Bangladeshi students under lockdown in China’s Wuhan city, the epicentre of the Coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 80 lives so far, appealed for help through social media, saying they want to return to Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh Embassy in Beijing then said it has established contact with the ministry of foreign affairs in China in case emergency support was needed by Bangladeshi expatriates in Wuhan. According to a press release, there has been no news of any foreigner being infected by or dying from the coronavirus.

Source

God forbid of any of these folks are infected when they come back to Bangladesh, I don't know if our Health Infrastructure will be able to handle it.

[Xuhayr]

 

Chinese PLA Medics deployed towards Wuhan

[Jack Ryan]

China's finance ministry and National Health Commission have extended 60.33 billion yuan ($8.74 billion) to help contain a spreading virus, according to a statement on the ministry's website.

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak rose to 81 on Monday, as the government extended the Lunar New Year holiday and more big businesses shut down or told staff to work from home in an effort to curb the spread. ($1 = 6.9040 Chinese yuan)

[Salted Cola]

2 of a family die in Munshiganj following sudden fever

A woman and her nephew died following fever in a village of Munshiganj, setting off panic among locals.

 

Lauhajong Upazila administration officials and a medical team of the Upazila Health Complex visited the house as the family members demanded a proper medical examination.

Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora, director of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), told the Daily Star, “We are investigating the deaths. We can't comment before we get the result."

Meanwhile, Surveillance Medical Officer of World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr Sabinul Islam and a team were on their way to Lauhajong to assess the situation.

Shamima Begum, 34, wife of Mir Jewel of Jasaldia village of Lauhajong, died around 8:00am yesterday. Their nephew Mir Abdur Rahman, 3, son of Mir Sohel, passed away around 2:00am today, our correspondent reports, quoting family members.

Both the aunt and nephew were suffering from high fever, said Mir Shiplu, brother of Mir Sohel.

“We informed Upazila Health Complex’s doctors, who visited the house and examined the body of the child.” 

Meanwhile, Shamima’s body has already been buried, he added.

 

[Salted Cola]

Coronavirus scare in India: suspected cases on the rise

At least three new suspected cases of coronavirus infection have been reported in India within a day, adding to the growing fear of coronavirus outbreak.

 

In Bihar’s Chapra area authorities identified a suspected case of coronavirus, reports India Today.

A girl, who recently visited China, returned to Bihar with symptoms similar to those affected by coronavirus.

The girl was being rushed to the Patna Medical College and Hospital for further tests to see if she has been infected by coronavirus, superintendent of PMCH Vimal Karak was quoted by India Today.

In Kolkata, another suspected case is being assessed, according to Zee News.

A Chinese citizen who has been travelling for the past six months reached Kolkata in India on January 24. She was admitted to Apollo Hospitals on suspicion of being affected by coronavirus and has since been shifted to Belaghata Hospital, reports Zee News.

In Mumbai, a 36-year-old man has been admitted in the isolation ward of a civic-run hospital on suspicion of possible exposure to coronavirus, officials said today according to India Today.

This is the fourth such incident in Mumbai. Three people were admitted to hospitals for possible exposure to the virus strain, after screening of passengers was done at the Mumbai international airport.

All three were hospitalised as precaution, officials had said on January 25, according to India Today.

 

[Salted Cola]

Strange deaths in Bangladesh and suspected cases in Kolkata, things are looking grim.

[Legionair]

Chinese national hospitalised in Dhaka with cold, fever amid coronavirus scare

 

https://m.bdnews24.com/en/detail/bangladesh/1716987

[Maisson]

‘Hospitalised Chinese man not suffering from coronavirus infection’

Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said no patient has been found infected with the coronavirus in Bangladesh as yet
 

The Chinese citizen, who was admitted to a private hospital in Dhaka with a fever on Monday, has recovered.

"He is alright now, but his test results have not come out yet," said Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque in a press brief on Tuesday after an inter-ministerial meeting at the ministry.

"No patient has been found infected with the coronavirus in the country as yet. Still, the health ministry is ready to tackle any outbreak and we made all kinds of preparations," he added.

The minister further revealed that a guideline has been formulated as per the instruction of the World Health Organisation (WHO), but no cure or medicine has been invented for the disease so far.

Zahid Maleque has urged people not to panic over coronavirus, as the ministry has taken necessary preparations to prevent the virus from entering the country. 

During the last 15 days, 7,570 Chinese nationals have left Bangladesh for China, while 2,308 have arrived here. However, no suspected coronavirus infections have been found in the country so far.

Speaking about the 245 Bangladeshi students in Wuhan, the minister said, "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had instructed us to bring them back. We had prepared a plane, but the Chinese government said they will not allow any foreigner to leave the city for the next 14 days. 

"Because, they will be kept under observation."

Since the outbreak in China around a week ago, Nepal has confirmed one coronavirus case, while India has quarantined four people for observation.

"We know that 100 people have died because of the new coronavirus infection, while 3,000 became infected and 5,000 are suspected of infection. But we are still safe in Bangladesh," said Zahid Maleque.

He continued, "The government has taken all precautionary measures so that the virus, which can be transmitted from human to human, does not enter Bangladesh. 

"All entry points have been brought under necessary screening, especially those through which people from China or countries with reported coronavirus cases enter Bangladesh. Please maintain good habits such as using masks, covering cough, and washing hands often."

Zahid Maleque called upon the Bangladeshi people not to travel to China until the coronavirus outbreak is contained.

 

[Legionair]

A nurse in Wuhan who insists in a shocking online video that close to 90,000 people in China have the disease, far more than the 1,975 reported by officials.

“I am in the area where the coronavirus started,” her video begins. Wuhan is the epicenter of the outbreak.

“I’m here to tell the truth,” the anonymous nurse says in the video, which shows her wearing a full-head face mask.

“At this moment, Hubei province, including the Wuhan area, even China, 90,000 people have been infected by a coronavirus.”

source:

https://nypost.com/2020/01/26/coronavirus-whistleblower-nurse-says-china-has-90000-sick/

 

[Salted Cola]

3 hours ago, Legionair said:

A nurse in Wuhan who insists in a shocking online video that close to 90,000 people in China have the disease, far more than the 1,975 reported by officials.

“I am in the area where the coronavirus started,” her video begins. Wuhan is the epicenter of the outbreak.

“I’m here to tell the truth,” the anonymous nurse says in the video, which shows her wearing a full-head face mask.

“At this moment, Hubei province, including the Wuhan area, even China, 90,000 people have been infected by a coronavirus.”

source:

https://nypost.com/2020/01/26/coronavirus-whistleblower-nurse-says-china-has-90000-sick/

 

Lying Chinese trying to save their economy and incompetent WHO behaving like China's second fiddle by not declaring it a pandemic. 

[Patriot_68]

Is there any chance of contamination through the imported goods that we bring from China ? 

[Xuhayr]

22 minutes ago, Patriot_68 said:

Is there any chance of contamination through the imported goods that we bring from China ? 

Not at all, even if someone deliberately plants corona virus droplets on your package/imported goods, a virus cannot survive on inorganic surface for more than a few hours. or heck minutes. The only way it can be spread effectively if the virus droplet gets out of someone's respiratory tract, and immediately gets into yours.

[Salted Cola]

2 hours ago, Xuhayr said:

Not at all, even if someone deliberately plants corona virus droplets on your package/imported goods, a virus cannot survive on inorganic surface for more than a few hours. or heck minutes. The only way it can be spread effectively if the virus droplet gets out of someone's respiratory tract, and immediately gets into yours.

Please research do your research about the virus brother.

The novel Coronavirus currently active around the world is an enveloped virus i.e. it can survive for up to 5 days on objects just waiting for humans to pick it up. 

This is why this current strain of the Coronavirus is so alarmingly dangerous.

[Salted Cola]

 

[Xuhayr]

On 1/29/2020 at 1:19 PM, Salted Cola said:

Please research do your research about the virus brother.

The novel Coronavirus currently active around the world is an enveloped virus i.e. it can survive for up to 5 days on objects just waiting for humans to pick it up. 

This is why this current strain of the Coronavirus is so alarmingly dangerous.

Okay, I didn't know that. But CDC Government page says 

Quote

In general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures. Coronaviruses are generally thought to be spread most often by respiratory droplets. Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of 2019-nCoV associated with imported goods and there have not been any cases of 2019-nCoV in the United States associated with imported goods. Information will be provided on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus website as it becomes available.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html

[Patriot_68]

We have to be careful about air freights in that case.   

[Girls' Generation]

About the virus:

1. It is pretty large in size (cell is about 400-500nm diameter), so any normal mask (not just the N95 feature) should be able to filter it out. However, when someone who's infected sneezes in front of you, it will take a great 3 meters (about 10 feet) before it drops to the ground and is no longer airborne.
2. When the virus drops on metal surface, it will live for at least 12 hours. So remember if you come in contact with any metal surface, wash your hands with soap thoroughly.
3. The virus can remain active on fabric for 6-12 hours. Normal laundry detergent should kill the virus. But if you are really worried, you can add some non-chlorine bleach or oxygen bleach . For winter clothing that does not require daily washing, you can put it out under the sun to kill the virus.
About the symptoms of the pneumonia caused by Coronavirus:
1. It will first infect the throat, so the throat will have the dry sore throat feeling which will last for 3 to 4 days
2. Then the virus will blend into the nasal fluid and drips into the trachea and enter the lungs, causing pneumonia. This process will take 5 to 6 days.
3. With pneumonia, comes high fever and difficulty in breathing. The nasal congestion is not like the normal kind. You will feel like you are drowning in water. It's important to go seek immediate medical attention if you feel like this.
About prevention:
1. The most common way of getting infected is by touching things in public, so you must wash your hands frequently. The virus can only live on your hands for 5-10 mins, but a lot can happen in those 5-10 mins (you can rub your eyes or pick your nose unwittingly lol).
2. Aside from washing your hands frequently, you can gargle with Betadine Sore Throat Gargle to eliminate or minimize the germs while they are still in your throat (before dripping down to your lungs).

[Maisson]

Myanmar turns back China Southern flight over coronavirus fears

Published: 31 Jan 2020 07:10 PM BdST

International travellers wear face masks at the departure hall in Yangon International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar January 31, 2020. Reuters
International travellers wear face masks at the departure hall in Yangon International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar January 31, 2020. Reuters

Authorities in Myanmar turned back a China Southern flight from Guangzhou with almost everyone on board on Friday after one of the passengers was found with flu symptoms similar to the fast-spreading coronavirus, a government spokesman said.

The plane arrived in the commercial capital Yangon and the passenger, a Chinese national, was sent to a hospital in the city where he will be quarantined, said government spokesman Zaw Htay.

Two Myanmar nationals who also disembarked have agreed to isolate themselves in their homes for 14 days, he told reporters at a press conference.

The plane returned to Gaungzhou with everyone else on board.

Myanmar has no confirmed cases of the coronavirus, which first emerged in China's central province of Hubei and has infected almost 10,000 people since, mostly in and around Hubei.

There are no plans to close the country's long and porous border with China or to ban Chinese travellers but Myanmar has introduced temperature screenings at airports and border gates, Zaw Htay said.

A group of about 60 Myanmar students studying in Wuhan, the Chinese city worst hit by the virus, will be flown to Mandalay on Sunday, he said.

Myanmar does not have the capacity to test for the virus in-country, and is sending samples from suspected patients to neighbouring Thailand, Khin Khin Gyi, a Health Ministry spokeswoman, told Reuters.

Results are expected within a week, she said.

[Maxsourav]

7 returnees from China to be admitted to Kurmitola hospital

The virus is believed to have originated late last year in a food market in Wuhan, China, that was illegally selling wildlife

Health officials will be hospitalizing seven Bangladeshi citizens, who arrived in Dhaka from China's Wuhan, at Kurmitola General Hospital.

Preparations are underway for admitting them to the hospital as their body temperature was over 100 degrees, Dr Shahriar Sazzad, assistant director of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) told Dhaka Tribune on Saturday morning.

Earlier in the day, a special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines bringing back Bangladeshi citizens stranded in China's Wuhan, the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, landed in Dhaka around 11:30am.

The 316 Bangladeshis include 312 returnees from China, including three infants, and four physicians who were sent from Bangladesh, Professor Sania Tahmina, additional director of DGHS, said.

She said eight BRTC buses brought them to Ashkona Hajj camp, under the supervision of DGHS and army officials.

Since its emergence, coronavirus has infected more than 11,000 people, mostly in China. More than 100 cases have been reported outside China, in 22 countries.

The local health commission of Hubei Province earlier on Saturday reported 45 new deaths from the outbreak on Friday, bringing the total to 249 - mostly in China.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen had told reporters at a briefing on Friday that the returnees from Wuhan will be put under observation at the quarantine unit in Ashkona Hajj camp for a certain period time.

It was later confirmed that they will be observed for a 14-day restriction period, which is required in order to avoid any risk.

WHO declares coronavirus a global health emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency as the death toll from the virus has been escalating.

The virus is believed to have originated late last year in a food market in Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife.

New cases are being reported every day around the world, spurring cuts to travel, outbreaks of anti-China sentiment in some places and a surge in demand for protective face masks.

Medical experts say the rising number of human-to-human transmissions outside China suggests a greater potential for the virus to spread further.

Statistics from China indicate that just over 2% of people infected have died, suggesting that the virus may be less deadly than the coronaviruses behind 2002-2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

[Legionair]

The fictional "Umbrella Corporation" from the game "Resident Evil" shares a logo with a biotech lab in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China, where a new coronavirus is believed to have originated!

Social media posts claimed that the logo of a biotech lab in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the January 2020 outbreak, was eerily similar to the logo of the Umbrella Corporation. Furthermore, these posts noted how “corona” was an anagram for “racoon,” the city at the center of “Resident Evil.” 

Source : https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/resident-evil-umbrella-coronavirus/

[desibdesi]

BD should take immediate action otherwise if it spreads in Bangladesh, it will undoubtedly kill a lot of people. Better safe than sorry.

[Maisson]

Bangladeshi doctor in China donates face masks amid coronavirus

The doctor donated over a thousand pieces of face mask to people from different walks of life in different Chinese cities

The deadly new coronavirus has been causing panic around the world for the past few days. The death toll till yesterday, due to the virus, has climbed to 304 in mainland China.

While most of the deaths occurred in China's Hubei province, there is no way to know whether the virus will turn into a pandemic or if it poses greater danger to the world as no medicine or antidote has yet been discovered.

During such times of distress, Dr Misbahul Ferdous, a Bangladeshi physician in China, has extended a helping hand by distributing face masks to people.

Dr Ferdous is a physician at the Department of Cardiology in Fuwai Hospital in Bejing and is the Vice President of the Asian Society of Cardiology.

On January 16, he traveled to Saudi Arabia for attending a conference. A day before he made his way back to Beijing, Dr Ferdous spent half a day to buy face masks from different medical stores in Saudia Arabia. From 14 shops, he bought 25 boxes of face mask with the correspondent.

After returning to China, he donated 100 pieces of face mask to Jinan Police Station and 300 pieces to Beijing Police Station. More than 400 face masks were distributed to his friends in Beijing, Shandong, Chongqing, Kunming, Ningxia, Sichuan and Anhui. Teachers in different cities received 170 pieces of face mask. The remaining 100 pieces were sent to his local community in Beijing and Shanghai.

Talking to The Business Standard, Dr Ferdous said that his family members, friends, and students told him not to go back to China, adding, "I felt I must go back and help my friends. As a doctor, I will be ashamed of my actions for the rest of my life if I run away from the current state of medical emergency."

[Maxsourav]

Coronavirus: 20 China nationals quarantined in southern district

A total of 20 Chinese citizens have been quarantined in Bangladesh's southern district as a cautionary measure against the outbreak of coronavirus that originally spread from China.

Officials of the health department have confirmed the quarantine and said the China nationals had come to Bangladesh on or after 23 January and have been kept in a building closed off to visitors.

Earlier on 1 February, 312 Bangladeshis were brought back from China’s Wuhan, the epicentre of the new virus outbreak, and have since been kept in Ashkona Hajj Camp in Uttara, Dhaka.

The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) has said the returnees are in good health and five among them including two mothers and their children have been quarantined separately.

According to government officials, the health condition of the China nationals and Bangladeshis back from China are strictly being monitored while already seven Bangladeshis have been admitted to Kurmitola General Hospital and three to Combined Military Hospital.

On Sunday, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen told the media that visa on arrival for China nationals had been suspended for one month in temporary measures following the outbreak.

The first reported death by coronavirus occurred on 9 January in China's Wuhan. By 3 February, the death toll surged past 360 and since emerging out of Wuhan late last year, more than 17,200 people across China have been infected while the disease reached about 25 nations.

Outside of China, the Philippines reported the first death from the mysterious virus on 2 February.

Amid the growing concerns World Health Organization (WHO) declared a world-wide coronavirus emergency on 30 January. It said evidences were available, in several countries that the virus transmits from human to human.

A number of China nationals have been working in a number projects currently undergoing in Bangladesh. Some 5,000 people came to Bangladesh from China since the virus breakout.

The 20 quarantined China nationals came to work in a power plant project in the southern region, according to the health department, Barishal and concerned upazila health officer.

They were screened at the airports both in China and Dhaka, but were taken into isolation for further security measures.

Officials from several projects where China citizens are involved include Padma bridge, Payra power plant, Barapukuria coal mine. They are keeping contact with the government, said Meerjady Sabrina, director of IEDCR and added that they were advised to isolate those who are coming from China.

As of 2 February, relatives of the quarantined Bangladeshis were visiting Ashkona Hajj Camp with food, clothes and so on though no one was allowed to enter. The essentials were provided to the returnees by the government officials and employees.

Earlier, a China national was admitted into a private hospital with fever and another Bangladeshi software engineer returned from China was admitted to Kurmitola hospital with fever too.

According to the IEDCR, the saliva samples of the admitted people were collected and no coronavirus was found.

The government has been saying from the onset of the outbreak that steps have been taken for screening at airports and land ports while government hospitals have been ordered to maintain separate room.

[Maxsourav]

Coronavirus Outbreak: Government served legal notice

The notice asked the concern authorities to formulate a high-level monitoring cell, supply sufficient masks and others necessary equipments, as well as make awareness among the citizen across the country

A legal notice has served to the government for taking appropriate steps within 48 hours in order to stop outbreak of novel coronavirus.

Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Humaun Kabir Pallob and Mohammad Kawser, on behalf of “Law and Life Foundation”, sent the legal notice to eight people including the Secretary to the Ministry of the Health, on Sunday.

The notice asked the concern authorities to formulate a high-level monitoring cell, supply sufficient masks and others necessary equipments, as well as make awareness among the citizen across the country.