The corona virus claims fatalities. For the first time, a hospital chief has died of the lung disease. According to new information from China, the forecasts are bleak, the WHO chief warns.
- The corona virus * has claimed more than 1,800 lives to date.
- In the Chinese province of Hubei , a hospital chief died of Covid-19 lung disease.
- Experts have evaluated new findings and data on the Sars-CoV-2 virus. The forecasts are bleak.
Coronavirus in China: "All scenarios are still possible"
Update of February 18, 12:57 p.m .: It is a bleak forecast: experts do not expect the Covid19 epidemic to stabilize until the end of April . "This is a very rough estimate," said Zhong Nanshan, head of the Chinese government's expert group, on Tuesday. A peak of the outbreak of the new lung disease is expected to be reached by the end of February . According to a current evaluation, 2.3 percent of those infected with the Sars-CoV-2 virus die in China.
The virus is particularly dangerous for older people and those with severe previous illnesses, for example in the cardiovascular system or with diabetes. According to the data available, the death rate for people over 80 years of age is almost 15 percent. In the group of 10 to 39 year olds, 0.2 percent of those infected, ie 2 out of 1,000 people, die.
80 percent of Sars CoV-2 patients show only mild symptoms of the lung disease Covid19 . According to the health authority, severe symptoms such as shortness of breath develop almost 14 percent of those affected, life-threatening effects such as respiratory arrest , septic shock or multi-organ failure almost five percent. Why there are relatively few cases in children is still unclear, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The WHO again emphasized that Sars-CoV-2 affects only a very small proportion of people outside of China. However, further developments cannot be predicted with certainty - not even for the epidemic in China. "All scenarios are still possible," said Tedros.
Hospital chief dies of coronavirus in China
Update from February 18, 6:48 a.m .: The novel lung disease Covid-19 knows no mercy. In China, a hospital director has now died of a coronavirus infection on Monday. The casualty is Liu Zhiming, the director of Wuchang Hospital.
A medical colleague reported that the chief doctor was in good health and did not expect himself to die from Covid-19 lung disease. On Friday, a 59-year-old nurse from the same hospital had died of the lung disease.
In the fight against the Sars-CoV-2 virus , more than 1,700 medical helpers such as doctors and nurses have been infected. By the end of last week, at least six helpers had died of it, according to the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. The vast majority of those affected were therefore deployed to the particularly severely affected province of Hubei, in whose capital Wuhan the virus had broken out.
Update from February 17, 6.49 p.m .:
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of new infections with the novel coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 in China is likely to decrease. That indicated data on 44,000 cases that China had made available to the WHO, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva on Monday.
“It is too early to say that this decline will continue. All scenarios are still possible. ”In addition, the data showed that Covid-19 was probably not as deadly as comparable diseases such as Sars or Mers.
Coronavirus alarm: A man from Munich is stuck on the "Diamond Princess" - twice a day he can go outside for a short time. *
Coronvirus: WHO speaks of a slight decline - but no all-clear
The WHO again emphasized that the novel virus affects only a very small proportion of people outside of China. The UN agency rejected calls for more drastic measures such as general travel bans.
"All measures must be appropriate to the situation," said Tedros. WHO expert Michael Ryan added: "There is no zero risk in the world - for nothing."
Update from February 17, 4:12 p.m .: A completely strange story happened in Russia. In St. Petersburg, a woman fled the quarantine station a week and a half ago. She was arrested shortly afterwards, but refused to go back there.
A Russian court has now decided that the 32-year-old has to go back there, whereupon the woman was immediately brought out of the courthouse to the isolation station against her will. The measure only applied until Wednesday.
Coronavirus: Supposedly infected woman storms out of quarantine station - great excitement in St. Petersburg
The woman had broken the electronic lock on a door in the clinic a week and a half ago and had fled the building. The chief doctor then switched on the court. Russian media spoke of an unprecedented decision because no one should be quarantined against their will. Nobody wore a protective mask in the courtroom.
After a trip to China, the Russian complained of a sore throat. Although she said no Sars-CoV-2 was found, she should stay in the clinic for two weeks as a precaution to avoid possible infections. But she didn't stick to that ...
Coronavirus in China: WHO chief with drastic warning and clear demands on China
Update of February 17, 7:38 a.m .: The death toll of the coronavirus in China has risen to 1770 . A total of more than 2,000 new infections were reported, including 1933 from the particularly affected Hubei province. The total number of cases in mainland China rose to more than 70,500. The number of people outside of Hubei Province has decreased in the past 13 days. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Sunday that it would be too quick to be optimistic . WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that it was “ impossible ” to predict the further course of the epidemic.
A team of international experts led by the World Health Organization (WHO) has now arrived in Beijing to talk to Chinese officials. The WHO had asked China to provide more information about the diagnosis of coronavirus cases. "We are looking forward to this extremely important collaboration that will contribute to global knowledge of the Covid-19 outbreak," said WHO chief Tedros on Twitter.
International experts participating in the @ WHO-led joint mission with have arrived in Beijing & have had their first meeting with Chinese counterparts today. We look forward to this vitally important collaboration contributing to global knowledge about the # COVID19 outbreak
- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 16, 2020Coronavirus driving bans in epicenter
Update of February 16, 1:03 p.m .: China has imposed a comprehensive driving ban in the particularly severely affected Hubei province. Private trips are no longer permitted. Only service and emergency vehicles and transports with everyday goods are allowed on the roads throughout the province (60 million inhabitants).
Update of February 16, 9:21 am : The death toll from the Sars-CoV-19 coronavirus in China has increased to 1,665 people. A previously unpublished speech reveals that China's President Xi Jinping knew about the threat early on. The outbreak of the new lung disease Covid19 worries the world.
Coronavirus: First death in Europe - Quarantined banknotes? China is taking drastic measures
Update of February 15, 8:50 p.m .: China is now taking further measures to contain the corona virus . Even banknotes are said to be quarantined in the country to reduce the risk of infection. This is reported by ntv , citing the Vice President of the Chinese Central Bank , Fan Yifei.
According to the vice chief, the Chinese banks would currently disinfect and seal all used banknotes and then keep them in this state for several days. This can take between seven and fourteen days and varies from province to province, depending on how severe the coronavirus is in the province. Only then would the banknotes be put back into circulation.
Coronavirus in China: companies receive support from the state
Until then, according to the vice-boss, every bank should strive to only hand out new banknotes to its customers. As a result, new banknotes worth four billion yuan were printed in Hubei Province, which is currently the most severely affected, before the Chinese New Year on January 25. This corresponds to the equivalent of around 530 million euros . The widely used method in China to pay via smartphone would also be of particular importance.
The companies in the country, which suffer particularly economically due to the numerous coronavirus sufferers , are now to receive emergency aid. That announced the deputy chairman of the Chinese banking insurance regulator , Liang Tao, according to the news channel. Numerous companies and factories are closed to reduce the risk of infection. To compensate for this, lending and support should now be increased and the costs of financing reduced.
Genetic researcher names new findings: Coronavirus does not come from the laboratory
Update from February 15, 1:38 p.m .: A lot is still unknown in connection with the corona virus . However, a scientist now wants to be able to rule out a conspiracy theory that had held up for a long time: According to the US researcher Trevor Bedford, the pathogen does not come from the laboratory and is not artificially generated . The researcher, who is part of an international group of scientists who use genetic analysis to fight epidemics , told the ARD .
The scientists therefore immediately exchange any newly analyzed coronavirus form in the world with each other. Using genetic analysis , they can quickly identify the mutations in the virus . This makes it easier to predict how the virus will spread. However, the virus origin can also be traced back over a long time .
According to Bedford, the genetic analysis has proven beyond any doubt that the new corona virus is not only related to the SARS virus , but that the two also have the same strain . Almost 20 to 70 years ago, the two types would have developed apart . According to Bedford, this means that the virus can not be produced in the laboratory.
The researcher also gives new figures on the infected: In his opinion, regardless of the official figures, it must be assumed that 200,000 people are currently infected with the corona virus.
Corona virus: first death in Europe
Update from February 15, 11:27 am: For the first time, a person suffering from the coronavirus died in Europe . A Chinese tourist has succumbed to the disease in a Paris clinic, said French health minister Agnès Buzyn on Saturday. The man was therefore an 80-year-old from the severely affected central Chinese province of Hubei , in which Wuhan is also located. The tourist was taken to the intensive care unit of the Bichat hospital in the French capital in early February. Buzyn said she was informed of the man's death yesterday. The patient was in critical condition for several days.
Coronavirus in China: Bill Gates with drastic warning - shortly afterwards his horror scenario begins
10:04 a.m .: Now an expert undermined the hope of many people that vaccination against the coronavirus could prevent a pandemic, as merkur.de * reports.
Update of February 15, 8.35 a.m .: Bill Gates urged on Friday at the conference of the world's largest scientific association AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) in Seattle: The novel corona virus could put the world in a "very bad situation". "It presents us with a huge challenge," said the Microsoft founder.
"There is a lot we don't know about this epidemic, but there is also a lot we know that shows that it could become very dramatic - especially if it spreads to areas like southern Africa or southern Asia." Gates said. "This disease, when it comes to Africa, will be more dramatic than in China - and I don't want to play down what is happening in China."
Egypt was the first country in Africa to record its first coronavirus case . According to the Ministry of Health, it is a foreign person, but nothing more is known so far. Bill Gates donated $ 100 million to fight the virus and develop a vaccine. Conspiracy theories also accused him and his wife of benefiting from the epidemic.
Coronavirus: the number of infected people in China continues to rise
Update of February 15, 6:38 a.m .: The number of confirmed infections and deaths from the new corona virus in China has risen again. China's Health Commission said on Saturday that 143 new deaths have been confirmed nationwide. According to official information, 1523 victims have now been confirmed on the Chinese mainland. The number of newly proven diseases rose there by 2641 to 66 492 cases. Outside the Chinese mainland, around 600 diseases have been confirmed in the rest of the world, including 16 in Germany.
Coronavirus: newspaper reports three deaths in North Korea
10.30 p.m .: There have been three deaths in North Korea since the outbreak of the corona virus , which the government wants to keep secret. According to a North Korean newspaper, however, there have so far not even been any evidence of infected people. According to the Korean Times , the North Korean Ministry of Health has not reported any cases of coronavirus to WHO. The government would take care of protecting the residents.
The South Korean newspaper Daily NK now claims to have found another version. According to this, three people in the almost completely isolated country are said to have died of the virus. A woman in her fifties died on January 27 in the capital, Pyongyang, after suffering from a fever and cough. The newspaper claims to have received the information from a high-ranking official from North Korea. Although the woman was said to have been quarantined on suspicion of Sars CoV-2 infection , her death was officially described as the result of pneumonia.
In addition, according to the secret source, two other people were killed, including a man in his forties and a student who had studied in China. In this case, it is not known whether male or female, only that the person should have been around 20 years old. A further 18 people are said to be in quarantine due to suspected coronavirus. This information has not yet been confirmed by the North Korean government.
Coronavirus: State of emergency in Chinese hospitals - doctors wear diapers
7.15 p.m .: The number of infected people in China continues to rise. The fight against the corona virus is particularly difficult due to a high lack of protective equipment in medical facilities . So far, more than 1,700 doctors and medical assistants have been infected in China.
But the state of emergency is taking its toll. In a clinic in Wuhan alone, at least 17 doctors had to continue working, all of which showed the symptoms of the coronavirus. This is reported in the Tagesschau , which reports from the Chinese Health Commission. “Of course, as doctors, we don't want to work while we may be contagious. But there is simply no one at the moment who could replace us, ”said one of the doctors concerned.
The situation is particularly drastic due to the lack of protective suits. Doctors are forced to wear the same suits several times, which in turn increases the risk of infection. The health commission now even reports of numerous doctors wearing diapers under their suits. This allows them to delay going to the toilet and thus extend the time before they have to change suits again.
The production of protective suits and masks has meanwhile increased, but not enough. A doctor in Wuhan said: "Even if we get more masks, the number of patients will increase even faster."
In general, the government of Egypt has now reported the first case of the novel corona virus on the African continent. The Ministry of Health in Cairo said on Friday that it was a foreign person. The ministry made no statements regarding nationality. It also remained unclear from which country the person had traveled to Egypt. The patient showed no symptoms of illness and was treated in an isolation ward. No case of corona in Africa has yet been reported, according to the World Health Organization.
3:06 pm: After the first confirmed Sars-CoV-2 infections, there is growing concern in London about the spread of the novel virus . Contrary to instructions, a woman had introduced herself directly to an emergency room in the British capital, the hospital in the Lewisham district announced on Thursday. As a precaution, a two-week quarantine was ordered for two employees of the clinic who came into contact with the patient. The woman came with an Uber taxi. The driver is not in danger of being infected, said the British health authority Public Health England. Since the journey took less than 15 minutes, there was no increased risk.
The incident had already taken place on Sunday. According to British media reports, the woman is said to be a Chinese citizen and was infected in China . She was admitted to the Guy's and St. Thomas Clinic in London for treatment.
Because of Covid-19: Indonesian city prohibits sale of bats
12.38 p.m .: An Indonesian city has stopped selling rats, snakes, bats and monkeys out of concern for the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus . The market in Tomohon on Sulawesi is known for offering such animals for consumption. A team was sent out to publicize the ban, as head of the local health authority, Isye Liuw, told the German press agency on Friday.
According to the current status, the first people at a wildlife market in Wuhan, China, were infected with the novel virus . It is unclear from which animal the pathogen jumped onto humans. Bats are probably the original reservoir. Many human infectious diseases, including rabies, Mers and Ebola, come from the animal kingdom. Mammals in particular carry pathogens that can spread to humans. Bats and fruit bats are among the possible carriers of new corona viruses.
Numerous doctors and helpers infected with coronavirus - Six helpers have already died
11:23: In the fight against the novel corona virus , more than 1700 medical helpers such as doctors and hospital staff have been infected so far. The Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday. At least six helpers were killed. The vast majority of those affected were deployed in the particularly severely affected Hubei province, where the virus originally broke out in the city of Wuhan. The total number of officially recorded infections in China is now almost 64,000, that of deaths is almost 1,400. However, experts assume that the number of unreported cases is very high.
Coronavirus: China uses modern surveillance technology to contain viruses
10:51 a.m. A mobile phone app as a virus contact detector, automatic fever measurement and face mask detection as well as 30-day movement data from the mobile operator. In the fight against the spread of the new Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus , China is using all of its surveillance technology. For example, the government, health commission and China Electronics Technology (CETC) are promoting a cell phone program that allows users to determine whether they have been in close contact with someone who is infected with the virus or is considered a suspected case.
After entering the personal data and identification number, the program uses the information gathered by the authorities to compare the movement track of the person with the location of infected people . For example, it shows whether both were in a room, in the same house, or whether they used the same plane. As the official Xinhua news agency reported, it can even be determined whether a passenger on the plane was in the same row with an infected person or three rows in front or behind. In the past, China's surveillance technology has often caused criticism in the past (keyword: personal rights). But now it could be helpful.
Coronavirus: the number of infected and dead continues to rise
9.18 a.m .: After the new classification of virus cases in China , the number of confirmed infections on Friday rose again sharply. In the severely affected province of Hubei in central China alone, 4,823 infections were added within a day, according to state television, referring to the provincial health commission. This brings the number to almost 64,000 nationwide. Again, 116 patients died of the disease in Hubei alone. Almost 1,400 dead across the country.
The day before, the number of newly confirmed infections had increased dramatically by 15,000 because the new counting method also included the clinical diagnoses of the lung disease called Covid-19 from the past few weeks. Since the DNA tests in the laboratory are often unable to determine the infection, cases are now also included in which doctors have diagnosed pneumonia, fever, breathing problems and other typical Covid-19 symptoms and can also diagnose the infection without a laboratory test ,
In the 4823 new infections with the Sars-CoV-2 virus on Friday in Hubei , 3095 such cases were counted with only clinical diagnoses, as reported by the Health Commission. However, the new counting method is only used in the province of Hubei, not in the rest of the country. The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomed the new approach. It allows people in Hubei to be isolated and treated more quickly, and contacts to be monitored earlier.
Coronavirus: Trump makes false claims and US government accuses China of lack of transparency
Update of February 14, 7:40 am: The US government has complained about China's "lack of transparency" in dealing with the novel corona virus . Washington is "a bit disappointed" that no US experts have been admitted, US economic adviser Larry Kudlow said in Washington on Thursday (local time). The question arises whether "the Politburo is really honest with us".
Contrary to Kudlow's comments, US President Donald Trump said in a radio interview that the United States is working with Beijing on the virus: "We are sending a lot of people" to China. "The Chinese government has certified that the Chinese government is" professionally "dealing with the epidemic He considers China's President Xi Jinping to be "extremely capable".
Trump repeated in the interview his unproven claim that the virus problem would take care of itself in two months with rising temperatures: "The April date is very, very important, because if that is the case when heat actually kills - at that time it starts to get hot and this virus reacts very badly to heat and dies, "said the US President.
Covid-19: Robert Koch Institute explains high death rate
Update of February 13, 5:55 p.m .: The epicenter of the novel lung disease Covid-19 is located in China in the province of Hubei. Lothar Wieler, President of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said on Thursday in Berlin that the mortality rate for people with the virus Sars-CoV-2 (previously coronavirus) in China is 2.2 percent. Christian Drosten, director of virology at the Charité in Berlin, explains the high death rate by overloading the statistical data. There is a "completely wrong assessment of the numbers".
The situation in Wuhan is dramatic. According to the scientists, the Sars-CoV-2 outbreak was probably not treated quite consistently. In Germany and Europe, the spread of the corona virus had been curbed, the chain of infection was interrupted with quarantine measures.
Coronavirus risk: MWC mobile phone exhibition in Barcelona canceled
Update from February 13, 11.40 a.m .: The world's largest mobile phone trade fair, the World Mobile Congress (WMC) in Barcelona, has now been canceled due to the corona virus. The cancellation costs were around 100 million euros, according to organizers. This does not yet include losses for participating companies including hotels and other affected companies in the host city.
The only direct flight connection between Berlin and Beijing is still suspended until the end of March because of the corona virus, which now bears the official name Sars-CoV-2. The airline Hainan Airlines canceled all flights until March 28th.
Update from February 13, 10:04 a.m .: Overnight there was a horror report from China : Suddenly the number of corona infected has increased dramatically, in Hubei there are almost 15,000 more people who contract Covid19 in one fell swoop .
The danger is immense - Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , Director General of WHO . In Geneva, he said recently that everything must be done to stop the threat. He made clear how serious the situation is with one sentence: "A virus can have more severe consequences than any terrorist attack."
Coronavirus: "Enemy of the State" - Drastic warnings from the WHO
It is clear to him that action must be taken as quickly as possible: "If the world doesn't wake up and sees this virus as the number one enemy of the state, we won't learn anything from it," he added.
We've been repeatedly saying the world spends too little money on preparedness & measures to keep people safe when health emergencies strike. With # COVID19 at our door, we urge solidarity from everyone to support the most vulnerable. We are only as strong as the weakest link https://t.co/8OPV92ka4D
- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 13, 2020Meanwhile, experts assume that an infected person passes the virus on to an average of two and a half other people. For example, 60 to 80 percent of the world's population could become infected with Covid19 if the threat was not taken seriously.
Coronavirus: could about 45 million people die in the end?
Gabriel Leung , a professor of medicine from the University of Hong Kong, went even further: "Even if the death rate were only one percent, the result would still be devastating." According to the calculations, the corona virus could affect 7.7 billion people on earth today kill more than 45 million people.
However, the researchers also warn against considering this horror scenario as the most likely case . Exactly that could threaten humanity if the signals are ignored. Therefore apply: Caution at all levels.
Coronavirus: Terror report from China - number of infected people increased dramatically
First report from February 13, 6:41 a.m .: Beijing - The Coronavirus * keeps the world in suspense. In the meantime, more than 1,300 people have died of the disease, and the number of people infected is also increasing in Germany *. It all started in Upper Bavaria, where a Webasto employee had contracted the new lung disease *.
In the meantime, a Formula 1 race in China has also been canceled *. There is great concern among the population, even when traveling abroad. Cruises are the main focus, after all, there are already more than 150 infected passengers on a ship.
Now there is scary news from China: the number of infections detected skyrocketed overnight, and the number of fatalities in the severely affected Hubei province more than doubled compared to the previous day.
Corona virus: oppressive news from China - the number of infected people is suddenly increasing rapidly
The number of newly detected infections in Hubei almost increased tenfold. As the authorities said on Thursday, 242 new deaths were registered in Hubei , bringing the total number of deaths in the province to 1,310 since the disease broke out.
The number of infections detected rose by 14,840 to 48,208 known cases. The previous day, 97 deaths and 1,638 new infections were reported in Hubei . Nationwide, there was initially no new information on the spread of the virus on Thursday. However, the new infections in Hubei , where the lung disease in Wuhan City had originally broken out, have increased the total number of infections in mainland China to over 59,000.
Coronavirus: Significantly more infected people in the Chinese province of Hubei
But: The new cases did not suddenly appear. As the health commission of the Hubei province announced , the diagnostic results were "revised" after an examination . Patients were added according to the new classification. Accordingly, cases of "clinical diagnoses" have been included in the number of confirmed diagnoses since Thursday.
WHO has published key considerations for repatriation and quarantine of travelers in relation to # COVID19 https://t.co/VSbTX2QRsd
WHO Situation Report 12 February 2020 https://t.co/Z65V69JD3a pic.twitter.com/4Rw0q2ph8a
As the China Daily reported, citing Chinese experts, doctors can now make an official diagnosis based on a combination of factors such as lung pictures, physical condition, and epidemiological history. So far, only one test procedure using nucleic acids was allowed, but it only recognized many clear diseases after three or four tests.
Coronavirus in China: "Clinical diagnoses" are now included in the "confirmed diagnoses"
In general, experts suspect a very high number of unreported cases . So the possibilities are limited to test for the new virus. Furthermore, China's changing reporting system with different definitions of the individual cases appears particularly complicated for local authorities. According to experts, the numbers reported daily therefore represent the ability to identify and report cases rather than the true extent of the epidemic.
* Merkur.de and tz.de are part of the Germany-wide Ippen digital editorial network
akl / dpa
Rubric list picture: © dpa / Andy Wong
