Corona epidemic: The quorum of the dead rose to 490; Over 200 patients outside of China

Victims of the virus first registered a Hong Kong resident who recently visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the disease outbreak, and failed to demonstrate to doctors to stop the move from mainland China. Japan has entered a quarantine of 3,700 passengers identified in ten cases

Corona epidemic: The quorum of the dead rose to 490; Over 200 patients outside of China

Corona eruption - latest updates

• The number of victims rose to 490, more than 24,000 contracted the disease
• Over 200 infection cases have been identified outside China
• Hong Kong: First case of death from the disease, doctors called to close the crossings from mainland China
• Japan: A ship was quarantined after ten cases of infection were identified on board

In the past day, the Corona virus took 65 more victims, raising the death toll to 490 - the Chinese authorities said on Wednesday night. 49 of those killed are in Wuhan City, the epicenter of the disease outbreak. An additional 3,887 people have contracted in mainland China, and the total number of infections now stands at 24,324. Over 200 cases have been diagnosed in over 20 countries.

The victims of the plague were, for the first time, a Hong Kong resident. The victim is a 39-year-old man who visited Wuhan. This is the second case of death outside mainland China, after another man in the Philippines died last week, who had also visited Wuhan before.

Thousands of medical staff in Hong Kong, the semi-autonomous island, held the second day of demonstrations calling for all traffic to the city from China, in the background of the country's protest against Chinese rule. To date, three aisles remain open. "We are not threatening the government, we are only seeking to prevent an outbreak," a nurse who participated in the protest explained.

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Ten cases were diagnosed in the district. Man outside casino in Macau, yesterday (Photo: Reuters)

A man wearing a face mask outside a casino in Macau, February 4, 2020 (Photo: Reuters)

The authorities in Wuhan have decided to turn eight more buildings in the city into medical centers, including gyms, display centers and sports, according to the Chinese news agency Shinhua, in addition to three other buildings announced earlier. In all, the 11 buildings, which are expected to be completed today, can accommodate up to ten thousand new beds. This is in parallel with the designated hospitals being built in the city, one of which is already open this week and contains a thousand beds, and another one is expected to open today to an additional 1,600 beds.

Economically, Chinese and global markets have seen an increase, after the previous day the Shanghai market lost close to $ 400 billion. However, in the background of the developments, Hyundai Motor Company announced it would suspend production in its South Korean factories due to supply disruptions.

China admits: The slow and poor response to the corona virus has contributed to its spread

In Macau, also a special administrative district of China, authorities have asked all casino operators to suspend the activity for two weeks to help prevent the epidemic spread. Ten cases of corona were diagnosed in Macau, whose casinos attract hundreds of thousands of gamblers from around the world. In addition, traffic restrictions were announced inside and outside the county. In Thailand, the highest number of patients outside China was registered, with 25 in all, and in Singapore 24 were registered.

Much infectious to the SARS virus - but less deadly

The World Health Organization, which declared the virus to be similar to the influenza for an international emergency, says there is still little known about the virus, including its mortality and transmission rates. In the face of uncertainty, some countries reacted sharply, insulting the Beijing Communist government, which called for more calm and fact-based action rather than panic.

Australia has sent hundreds of people evacuated from Wahan to an island in the Atlantic, while Japan has identified about ten cases of corona on a ship carrying about 3,700 passengers and crew, currently in quarantine. In the meantime, 17 cases have been registered. The city was severely hit by the SARS eruption in 2002 - an epidemic that claimed the lives of some 800 people worldwide and caused $ 33 billion in damages to the global economy. Information gathered by China indicates that the new virus is far more contagious, but probably less deadly, though the epidemic may develop to similar numbers quickly.

A World Health Organization official, Sylvie Brand, said most of the deaths, as well as those suffering from severe infections due to the virus, were people with previous medical problems in the background or the elderly.

A man wearing a mask at a shopping center in Jiujiang, China (Photo: Reuters)

A man wearing a mask at a shopping center in Jiuziang, China, in the background of the Corona virus outbreak, February 2, 2020 (Photo: Reuters)

In the wake of another China-US confrontation with the rally between the country's trade crisis, Beijing has accused Washington of spreading panic this week after announcing its intention to block the entry of almost every foreign national who recently visited China. Some other countries have done so, too. The United Kingdom has ordered its citizens to leave China if they can, and Russia has set up a detention center for deported citizens from China in Siberia, where two cases of infection have been recorded.

While the world's second largest economy faces increasing isolation, some economists predict that global production will shrink by 0.2% to 0.3%. Trump's economic adviser Larry Kudlow underestimates the potential damage to the United States following the epidemic, but said yesterday that US export to China, which was expected to occur following the trade agreement later this month, may be delayed.

Many airlines have stopped flights to different parts of China. United Airlines has also announced that it will stop its flights to and from Hong Kong starting this Saturday and for two weeks. A Toronto flight that was on its way to Jamaica had to come back after a Canadian citizen stressed passengers that he had the Corona virus, and took a photo himself. He stopped.