Coronavirus: nearly 1,770 dead, but daily number of new deaths declining

The balance of the epidemic of viral pneumonia rose Monday to 1,770 dead in mainland China.

Even if authorities confirm a slowdown in the daily number of new deaths (105 Monday against 142 Sunday and 143 Saturday) and fewer new cases outside of Hubei (center of the epidemic), the World Health Organization has warned that the spread of the coronavirus remains "impossible to predict".

However, a senior Chinese official said that his country was in the process of controlling the epidemic: "We can already see the effect of measures to control and prevent the epidemic in different parts of the country", welcomed spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Health.

Outside mainland China where at least 70,500 people have been infected, nearly 600 cases of contamination by the coronavirus epidemic have been confirmed in around 30 countries around the world.

Visiting Pakistan, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was confident that "the gigantic effort" made by China "will allow the progressive decline of the disease".

For WHO, it is not a question of relaxing efforts. "We ask all governments, all societies and all news organizations to work with us to raise the appropriate level of alarm without blowing the embers of hysteria," said Tedros Adhanom, the chief of WHO at a conference in Berlin.

New traffic restrictions

In this context, the Chinese authorities have further restricted the freedom of movement of its citizens in Hubei province, where 56 million people live. Villages and residential cities are now subject to "strict closed management" 24 hours a day, which means that residents are no longer expected to leave their homes until further notice. Purchases and distribution of food and medicine can be done "centrally," said a provincial directive released Sunday.

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In the rest of the world, the epidemic keeps the planet alert. A first death outside Asia (an 80-year-old Chinese tourist hospitalized in France) and a first case on the African continent (in Egypt) have been recorded in recent days. Taiwan also announced its first death on Sunday, a 61-year-old taxi driver.

Diamond Princess passengers evacuated

Outside China, the main source of infection remains the cruise ship Diamond Princess, in quarantine in Japan: 355 cases of contamination have been confirmed there, including 70 new cases announced on Sunday. Several countries such as Canada, the United States, but also Hong Kong and Australia, nearly a thousand passengers between them, decided to quickly evacuate their nationals, stranded in the boat in quarantine since February 3 .

#BREAKING | Hundreds of Australians will be brought off the # coronavirus-struck #DiamondPrincess cruise ship, which is quarantined in Japan. https://t.co/qcTDRkt4OZ

However, the 3,711 people initially on board have not yet undergone the examinations to establish their possible contamination. The quarantined Americans were evacuated from the boat at dawn Monday. Some of them will be transported to a military base in California and others in Texas.

Americans quarantined on Diamond Princess cruise ship over coronavirus flown to US; more than 40 left behind. https://t.co/qC3vZyPx8c pic.twitter.com/H52swpWZ85

Toilet paper stolen in Hong Kong

Unexpected fact in Hong Kong, which has barricaded itself to protect itself from the epidemic for ten days. Hong Kong police announced on Monday that a truck driver was robbed in front of a supermarket in Mong Kok district by three individuals armed with knives who stole a large stock of toilet paper rolls, a product that has become difficult to find on the shelves. Consumers are robbing supermarkets to store food and cleaning products for fear of shortages, even though authorities say the supply chain continues to function normally.