That’s all from us on this blog, though our coverage will continue overnight in a new live blog. Here’s a summary of the events since we last wrapped things up about 16 hours ago.
- The new coronavirus represents a serious and imminent threat to public health, the UK’s health secretary declared. The step gave the government additional powers to fight the spread of the virus.
- Eight people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK out of 1,114 tested. The figures were released by the chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, and meant the number of confirmed cases had doubled.
If you’d like to read more, my colleagues Denis Campbell and Frances Perraudin have the full story:
China’s Hubei province confirms a total of 31,728 cases of Coronavirus and 974 deaths by the end of today, the Reuters news agency reports. That number includes 103 new deaths and 2,097 new cases, according to the report.
A student at the University of Sussex is being tested after falling ill, the institution has said. A spokeswoman has told the Guardian:
We can confirm that a student on our campus has been admitted to hospital today for tests. A case of coronavirus has not been confirmed at this point.
The student had recently returned from overseas. We are following all Public Health England guidance in terms of practical next steps and we will be keeping our students and staff at the university informed if there are any developments.
This is a difficult time for the young person involved, and their fellow students, and we are concerned at making sure they are supported.
Updated
The Girls’ Schools Association has echoed legal experts’ advice to independent institutions to discourage their students from flying to China. The body even warned that people flying back in from south-east Asia could face quarantine upon their return to the UK. A spokeswoman has said:
We have recommended that our schools advise parents, carers and guardians of any pupils proposing to travel to south-east Asia over February half-term to consider not travelling.
We have also advised schools that, where possible, they should help to make suitable alternative arrangements with guardians.
In the case of students who decide to travel, we have recommended that schools advise them and their families that protective measures could well be in place before they return and that they prepare for the possibility of quarantine procedures.
In its guidance, the Boarding Schools’ Association says institutions must also consider the risk of any visits by parents or carers, avoiding “unnecessary restrictions” on anyone beyond the 14-day incubation period.
It says schools must ensure boarders are protected both on and off the premises, following reports of children being targeted on the basis of their ethnicity. China sends more pupils to UK fee-paying schools than any other country.
Updated
British Airways has extended the suspension of flights serving Chinese cities amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus.
On Monday, the airline said flights to and from Beijing and Shanghai had been cancelled until 31 March.
We are contacting customers on cancelled flights so we can discuss their travel options, including rebooking onto other carriers where possible, full refunds or booking with BA for a later date of travel.
Safety is at the heart of everything we do and we will keep the situation under review.
Virgin Atlantic extended the suspension of its flights to mainland China last week. The airline said flights on its Heathrow-Shanghai route would not be in operation until 28 March.
Updated
In the same statement, PHE revealed that two of the four new cases of coronavirus are healthcare workers.
Doyle added: “Two of these new cases are healthcare workers and as soon as they were identified, we advised them to self-isolate in order to keep patient contact to a minimum.
“We are now working urgently to identify all patients and other healthcare workers who may have come into close contact, and at this stage we believe this to be a relatively small number.”
On Monday afternoon, the BBC reported that a GP practice in Brighton had been temporarily closed after a staff member tested positive for the virus.
The government has declared coronavirus a serious and imminent threat to public health, while eight people have tested positive for it in the UK overall.
Updated
New UK cases are 'closely linked', PHE official says
Four of the confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK are all closely linked to one another, Public Health England has confirmed.
It was revealed earlier on Monday that three men and one woman had been transferred from where they were diagnosed in Brighton to London over the weekend in order to receive specialist care.
Yvonne Doyle, medical director for PHE, said: “As a result of our contact tracing we now know the new cases announced today are all closely linked to one another.
“Our priority has been to speak to those who have close and sustained contact with confirmed cases, so we can advise them on what they can do to limit the spread of the virus.
Updated
The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said recent cases of coronavirus reported in France and the UK could “be the spark that becomes a bigger fire”.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ comments came after a British man, who caught the virus at a conference in Singapore, was linked with other cases in the European countries.
Eight people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, while five British nationals tested positive in France following the Sussex businessman’s trip to a French ski resort.
Ghebreyesus told a press conference: “In recent days we have seen some concerning instances of onward transmission from people with no travel history to China, like the cases reported in France yesterday and the UK today.
“The detection of this small number of cases could be the spark that becomes a bigger fire. But for now, it’s only a spark. Our objective remains containment.
“We call on all countries to use the window of opportunity we have to prevent a bigger fire.”
Updated
More than 50 people in Scotland have been tested for coronavirus, latest figures have revealed.
Although statistics published on Monday showed all 57 people had returned negative results, the country’s chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood warned there was a “high likelihood” a patient would test positive for the virus in the future.
In a statement on its website, the Scottish government said: “The Scottish Government’s approach is guided by the Chief Medical Officer and we continue to monitor the situation closely and to work with the World Health Organisation and international community.”
Laboratories at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh have been set up to test patients in Scotland for the virus. The number of people they have tested has risen by 16 since Sunday.
Across the UK, a total of 1,114 people have been tested for coronavirus.
A school in Southampton has been closed after students were put in isolation over coronavirus fears.
St Mary’s Independent School in Bitterne Park is on lockdown, and pupils have been evacuated, according to the Bournemouth Echo.
Some of the children at the school were reportedly struck down with symptoms similar to those of the virus, and put in isolation after being assessed by medical professionals at Southampton General Hospital.
St Mary’s, which is in contact with Public Health England, will remain closed for deep cleaning.
The Echo reported a statement sent to parents from headteacher Claire Charlemagne said: “I am sorry to inform you that a family with children at the prep and senior departments who have recently travelled to the region affected by coronavirus have developed symptoms similar to those presenting with the coronavirus, and having been checked by medical professionals at Southampton General Hospital have been placed in isolation.”
Hi, I’m Amy Walker, taking over the live blog from my colleague Aamna Mohdin.
The Chinese gadget manufacturer, TCL communication, has become the latest company to make cutbacks to its planned presence at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) amid the coronavirus crisis.
The company has said it would still have a booth on the tech show’s floor, but would no longer hold a press conference.
Sony and Amazon are among the other phone makers to have withdrawn from the event – which will be held in Barcelona later this month – in recent days, citing concerns about the spread of the virus. Ericsson, LG and Nvidia have also pulled out of the show.
In a statement, TCL said: “Given the recent global health concerns due to the spread of the 2019-nCoV virus, and out of an abundance of caution and care for our staff, customers, press and other guests, TCL Communication is cancelling its global press event for MWC 2020, which was planned for 22 February 2020.
“This decision does not impact any other MWC 2020 activities planned by the company and TCL will still announce its latest mobile devices and showcase them at its booth in the Fira Gran Via - Hall 3, Stand 3D11 - from 24-27 February as scheduled.”
A UK law firm that specialises in private education has said independent schools should discourage students from flying to China and consider keeping their boarding house open and staffed during the half-term break.
Vicky Wilson, Senior Associate in the Education practice at Wilsons, said:
Pupils from China and Hong Kong make up the biggest single group of overseas student in the UK’s independent schools. Coronavirus is something every school must address this week.
The Foreign Office has advised people in the UK to avoid all but essential travel to China and independent schools must reinforce that to pupils and their families.
Missing a family reunion is hard on everyone but it is preferable to pupils risking their education being seriously disrupted by Coronavirus and its fallout.
Wilsons Solicitors have listed six things all independent schools should be doing ahead of the holiday.
- Talk to students and families about whether it’s necessary to go back to China
- If Chinese pupils stay in the UK, ensure they have guardianship arrangements in place
- Consider keeping your boarding house open and staffed during the holiday
- Have a staff member at the school responsible for communicating with pupils and families
- If students do travel to China, ensure medical staff at the school are trained to spot Coronavirus symptoms
- Ensure children can still study if they have to enter quarantine
The Royal Free Hospital, in north London, said two of the patients had been taken for treatment at its high consequence infectious disease treatment centre.
A statement said:
We are treating an additional two patients with Wuhan novel coronavirus at the Royal Free Hospital (RFH), which means there are a total of three patients with the condition at the RFH.
The RFH is one of a small number of specialist centres in England for treating infectious diseases such as coronavirus.
As the patients are being treated in isolation, there is no risk to any other patients or visitors.
All of our services remain open as usual, so if you have a hospital appointment please attend as planned.
Staff at a local community centre in Brighton have been advised to self-isolate after the man at the centre of the Brighton and Hove outbreak visited a class there last week, The Argus reports.
A manager and some volunteers at the Cornerstone Community Centre in Hove have been advised by Public Health England to self-isolate after the man attended a yoga class.
One concerned centre user told The Argus:
The man visited the centre last week to go to a runners yoga class.
People are very concerned about the lack of clear information from the NHS about this man’s movements.
The centre manager has been told to self-isolate. “People are turning up at the centre and don’t know what to do.”
Updated
Eight people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK out of 1,114 tested as of 2pm Monday, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said.
Updated
At the Grenadier pub in Hove punters seemed unconcerned that a man who has been diagnosed with coronavirus was served here a few days ago.
There were about a dozen customers watching football and enjoying a pint on Monday afternoon, and although all staff who were on duty at the time the man was hosted have been told to self-isolate, there were plenty of people behind the bar too.
A Grenadier pub spokesperson said: “We are following the advice and working closely with Public Health England who have advised us that there is minimal ongoing risk of infection to either guests or staff, and as such the pub remains open for business as usual.”
The man, who was the third confirmed case of coronavirus in the UK, is believed to have visited the pub on the evening of 1 February.
Breaking: a GP in Sussex has been temporarily shut down after a member of staff tested positive for the coronavirus, BBC reports
BREAKING: A GP practice in Sussex has been temporarily shut down after a member of staff tested positive for the coronavirus, sources have told @MarkNormanNews. The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton has been closed by the NHS. pic.twitter.com/mfIHb463J8
— BBC Sussex (@BBCSussex) February 10, 2020
An message left at the medical centre’s phone says: “Unfortunately, the building has had to close due to an urgent operational health and safety reason,” Reuters reports.
Updated
Here’s a report by my colleague Haroon Siddique on the British national believed to have passed the bug to at least 11 Britons in three countries, prompting concerns about the danger posed by so-called super spreaders.
The unnamed man, the first Briton to have tested positive for coronavirus, travelled to Singapore for a sales conference that exposed the Sussex businessman to the Wuhan coronavirus.
After the conference, the Briton travelled to the French ski resort of Les Contamines-Montjoie near Mont Blanc, where he stayed with his family between 24 and 28 January.
He then flew back to the UK on a busy easyJet flight from Geneva to Gatwick. Still oblivious to the fact he had the virus, which has a two-week incubation period, he returned home and on the evening of 1 February he visited a local pub, The Grenadier, in Hove.
Just under a fifth of known cases of the new coronavirus in the worst-affected region in China may result in death, a report from Imperial College London estimates.
Researchers from the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis have found that the case fatality ratio (CFR) for people in Hubei province is 18% – this however may reflect the most severe cases that the overwhelmed health system is treating, with other less severe cases not being recorded.
The researchers estimate the CFR is much lower in travellers outside China, between 1.2 and 5.6%, and the overall CFR in all infections, both asymptomatic and symptomatic, is approximately 1%.
The researchers said:
It is important to note that the differences in these estimates does not reflect underlying differences in disease severity between countries. CFRs seen in individual countries will vary depending on the sensitivity of different surveillance systems to detect cases of differing levels of severity and the clinical care offered to severely ill cases.
All CFR estimates should be viewed cautiously at the current time as the sensitivity of surveillance of both deaths and cases in mainland China is unclear.
Updated
The UK’s decision to declare the coronavirus outbreak as a “serious and imminent threat” to public health gives the government fresh legal powers to forcibly quarantine people and send them into isolation if they pose a threat.
The PA Media news agency reports that the decision was in response to one of the Britons who returned from Wuhan in China, the centre of the outbreak, attempting to leave isolation at Arrowe Park hospital on Merseyside.
The news agency cited a government source that “there was someone who was threatening to abscond from Arrowe Park”.
All the Britons who returned on the evacuation flight signed a contract agreeing to a 14-day quarantine period, which ends this Thursday. There were concerns, however, that those contracts were not legally enforceable, leading to the new regulations.
Updated
The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, has made his first public appearance in weeks.
State broadcaster CCTV has posted a short segment of Xi visiting a neighbourhood in Beijing. Xi is shown wearing a surgical mask, having his temperature taken, and greeting residents. According to CCTV, Xi “investigated and directed” the ongoing virus prevention work and asked after residents and workers.
Video: Chinese President Xi Jinping inspected the #novelcoronavirus pneumonia prevention and control work in Beijing on Monday afternoon. Xi visited residents and staff in a community in Chaoyang District to learn about the situation of the frontline work. https://t.co/n2zr4Ckifs pic.twitter.com/fYLk7DqIzs
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) February 10, 2020
Xi’s disappearance over the last few weeks is unusual for a leader whose face is featured constantly on state newspapers and broadcast on the nightly news. While state media have frequently reported statements made by Xi, he had not been seen in public since a meeting with the WHO director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on 29 January and a meeting with the Cambodian prime minister, Hun Sen, in Beijing on 5 February. He has not been shown visiting doctors or hospitals or patients or visiting Wuhan. Instead, he sent his second-in-command, the premier, Li Keqiang.
Observers say Xi may have been insulating himself from the public fallout from the crisis, making it easier to blame local officials. Others have pointed out that he is doing what several other Chinese leaders before have done during times of crisis of stepping back from the limelight while still maintaining firm control. Internet users have joked that he may have found a safe place to quarantine himself.
Now that the central government has taken control of the handling of the outbreak, it may be harder to deflect blame. Moreover, the top leadership is also facing an outpouring of public anger over the recent death of a doctor who was punished for trying to warn colleagues and friends about the virus. Xi may not have the luxury of staying in the background.
Updated
Public Health England is speaking to people who have had close and sustained contact with the new confirmed cases.
Dr Nick Phin, the deputy director of national infection service at Public Health England, said:
These new cases are all closely linked and were rapidly identified through Public Health England’s comprehensive contact tracing approach and tested quickly.
Our priority is speaking to those people who have had close and sustained contact with confirmed cases so that we can advise them on what they can do to limit the spread of the virus.
Updated
A growing number of countries across the world are evacuating or planning to evacuate their citizens from parts of China hit by coronavirus.
Reuters has collated a list of the countries who have evacuated some of their citizens so far:
- Kazakhstan will send two planes to China on 10 and 11 February to evacuate its citizens. Kazakhstan has already evacuated 83 people from Wuhan. Of the 719 Kazakhs remaining in China, 391 have asked to be repatriated.
- Singapore: A second evacuation flight is bringing back another 174 Singaporeans and their family members from Wuhan to the city-state on 9 February, Singapore’s foreign ministry said.
- Philippines: Thirty Filipinos returned to the Philippines on 9 February from Wuhan, the department of foreign affairs said. The returning passengers and a 10-member government team will be quarantined for 14 days.
- UK: Britain’s final evacuation flight from Wuhan, carrying more than 200 people, landed at a Royal Air Force base in central England on 9 February. A plane carrying 83 British and 27 European Union nationals from Wuhan landed in Britain last week.
- Brazil: The 34 Brazilians evacuated from Wuhan landed in Brazil on 9 February, where they will begin 18 days of quarantine.
- US: Two planes with about 300 passengers, mostly US citizens, took off from Wuhan on 6 February bound for the US. It was the third group of evacuees from the heart of the coronavirus outbreak, the US state department said.
- Taiwan: About 500 Taiwanese stranded in Wuhan are the first batch to be evacuated
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Uzbekistan: 251 people from China and quarantined them on arrival in Tashkent, the Central Asian nation’s state airline said on 6 February.
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Italy: The country flew back 56 nationals from Wuhan to Rome on 3 February. The group will spend two weeks in quarantine in a military hospital, the government said.
- Saudi Arabia: 10 students from Wuhan have been evacuated, Saudi state television reported on 2 February.
- A plane-load of New Zealanders, Australians and Pacific Islanders evacuated from Wuhan arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on 5 February, officials said.
- Thailand: A plane brought 138 Thai nationals home from Wuhan last week. They will spend two weeks in quarantine.
- France: Some nationals have been evacuated from Wuhan and would be placed in quarantine. It said it would first evacuate nationals without symptoms and then those showing symptoms at a later, unspecified date.
- Canada: The first group of 176 citizens were evacuated from Wuhan to an Ontario air force base early on 5 February, according to the Globe and Mail newspaper. All evacuees will be quarantined on the base for two weeks.
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Japan: The country has repatriated 565 nationals since the end of January.
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South Korea: About 368 people were flown home on a charter flight that arrived on 31 January. A second chartered flight departed Seoul for Wuhan on the same day, with plans to evacuate around 350 more South Korean citizens.
- Indonesia: The government flew 243 Indonesians from Hubei on 2 February and placed them under quarantine at a military base on an island north-west of Borneo.
Reuters also has a list of countries preparing to evacuate their citizens.
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Netherlands: The country is preparing the voluntary evacuation of 20 Dutch nationals and their families from Hubei, Stef Blok, the Dutch foreign minister, said. The Netherlands is finalising arrangements with EU partners and Chinese authorities.
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Spain: The government is working with China and the European Union to repatriate its nationals.
Updated
Dr Al Edwards, an associate professor at the University of Reading’s school of pharmacy, said the government was right to declare the coronavirus as a serious and imminent threat to people in the UK.
Edwards said:
The main challenges facing Britain and the wider world are containment, finding everyone infected and stopping the spread, and the treatment of very ill patients, which could easily overwhelm hospitals in any country, however well-developed the health system.
Finding people who have been infected is extremely challenging, but it is essential for containment. We are lucky we do have fairly rapid tests available, based on detecting the virus in patient blood samples, for example. However, these will only work when patient is quite sick. After people get better, or if they have mild infection, the virus can’t be detected.
The current rapid tests are based on detecting the nucleic acid of the virus by measuring RNA. This is the genetic ‘code’ of the virus. When the level of the virus drops in, a patient doesn’t have very much viral RNA. This is good for the patient but makes the virus almost undetectable.
Updated
One of the four new confirmed cases from Brighton – one of the three men – is a doctor who was part of the group that were skiing in the resort near Chamonix with the man who is at the centre of this outbreak, the Guardian understands.
Updated
Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, has confirmed the four new cases of coronavirus in England. The new cases have brought the total number of cases in the UK to eight.
He said in a statement:
Four further patients in England have tested positive for novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to eight. The new cases are all known contacts of a previously confirmed UK case, and the virus was passed on in France.
Experts at Public Health England continue to work hard tracing patient contacts from the UK cases. They successfully identified these individuals and ensured the appropriate support was provided.
The patients have been transferred to specialist NHS centres at Guy’s and St Thomas’s and the Royal Free hospitals, and we are now using robust infection control measures to prevent further spread of the virus.
The NHS is extremely well prepared to manage these cases and treat them, and we are working quickly to identify any further contacts these patients have had.
Updated
Japanese health officials had confirmed four Australian nationals among the new cases on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
These new cases included 45 Japanese nationals, 11 Americans, three from the Philippines and one each from Canada and Ukraine, Reuters reports.
The figure on Monday took the number of infections on the ship, docked in Yokohama, to 130.
Updated
EasyJet has confirmed that a passenger who recently travelled on one of its flights has since been diagnosed with the coronavirus. The airline said Public Health England is reaching out to all customers on the flight.
A spokeswoman said:
EasyJet has been notified by the public health authority that a customer who had recently travelled on one of its flights has since been diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Public Health England is contacting all passengers who were seated in the vicinity of the customer on flight EZS8481 from Geneva to London Gatwick on 28 January to provide guidance in line with procedures.
As the customer was not experiencing any symptoms, the risk to others onboard the flight is very low. We remain in contact with the public health authorities and are following their guidance. The health and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is the airline’s highest priority.
All of the crew who operated have been advised to monitor themselves for a 14-day period since the flight in line with Public Health England advice. Note this happened 12 days ago and none are displaying any symptoms.”
Updated
The number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the UK has doubled from four to eight after four more people in Brighton were diagnosed with the infection over the weekend.
The new cases include three men and one woman.
The four have been transferred from Brighton to London to receive specialist care.
Crucially, one of the four had been at the same ski resort near Chamonix in France visited by the patient from Brighton who was moved from the city to the isolation unit at St Thomas’s hospital in central London last Thursday after they were diagnosed with Coronavirus.
The gender of the four new cases, and whether they are adults or children, is not known.
St Thomas’s is one of the NHS’s network of specialist high consequence infectious diseases (HCID) treatment centres in England.
One of the other four confirmed cases is being treated at the HCID unit at the Royal Free hospital in north London and the two Chinese nationals who tested positive for Coronavirus in York are being treated at the HCID centre in Newcastle.
Updated
Businesses are gradually reopening in China following the lunar new year holiday, which was extended to discourage travel in an attempt to contain the virus, but they face heavy losses.
Updated
I want to hear your news, experiences and questions about the Coronavirus outbreak. You can email me at aamna.mohdin@theguardian.com, or reach me through my Twitter profile, @aamnamohdin
Here’s a report by my colleague Frances Perraudin on what it means now the UK has declared the coronavirus outbreak a serious and imminent threat to public health.
Under the measures announced on Monday, the Department of Health said people with coronavirus can now be forcibly quarantined and will not be free to leave, and can be forcibly sent into isolation if they pose a threat to public health.
A spokesman said: “Our infection control procedures are world leading and the NHS is well prepared to deal with novel coronavirus.
“We are strengthening our regulations so we can keep individuals in supported isolation for their own safety and if public health professionals consider they may be at risk of spreading the virus to other members of the public.
“This measure will rightly make it easier for health professionals to help keep people safe across the country.”
A team of experts headed by the World Health Organization (WHO) flew into Beijing on Monday to help assess the latest outbreak. While China has borne the brunt of the disease with the vast majority of confirmed cases and all but two of the deaths, the WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said there had been “some concerning instances” of transmission from people who had not been to China.
“The detection of a small number of cases may indicate more widespread transmission in other countries; in short, we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg,” he said on Twitter.
He called on the global community to work together and share what they know in real-time with WHO.
In an evolving public health emergency, all countries must step up efforts to prepare for #2019nCoV’s possible arrival and do their utmost to contain it should it arrive. This means lab capacity for rapid diagnosis, contact tracing and other tools in the public health arsenal.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 9, 2020
Updated
Military personnel set up a covered walkway this morning next to the Diamond Princess cruise ship. About 3,600 people are quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus at the Daikoku Pier cruise terminal in Yokohama port. Another 60 passengers on board the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of infections on the ship to 130.
Updated
UK declares coronavirus a 'serious and imminent threat' to public health
Morning, I’m Aamna Mohdin taking over the blog from my colleague Alison Rourke.
The UK health secretary declared on Monday that the new coronavirus was a serious and imminent threat to public health, a step that gives the government additional powers to fight the spread of the virus.
The Department for Health and Social Care said:
The secretary of state declares that the incidence or transmission of novel Coronavirus constitutes a serious and imminent threat to public health, and the measures outlined in these regulations are considered as an effective means of delaying or preventing further transmission of the virus.
Updated
Summary
- China’s death toll has jumped to 908, with 40,000 confirmed infections.
- Another 60 passengers on the stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of infections on the ship to 130.
- Tens of millions of Chinese have gone back to work today after the extended lunar new year break.
- The World Health Organization has sent a team of international experts to Beijing to help combat the epidemic.
- The WHO boss has warned that confirmed cases of coronavirus being transmitted by people who have never travelled to China could be the “tip of the iceberg”.
- A memorial has been held in New York for the whistleblower doctor, Li Wenliang, who died last week from coronavirus.
- China’s food prices spiked by 20.6% in January.
- A citizen journalist in Wuhan, Chen Qiushi, who has been reporting on the coronavirus epidemic, has been missing since Thursday.
Updated
There are plenty of figures published about coronavirus cases in China, but here’s are some that I found very interesting – the daily confirmed cases of the virus outside Hubei province, the centre of the outbreak.
The graph below, published by the state media outlet the Global Times, shows a distinct fall in numbers of people being diagnosed with the virus outside Hubei. The figures they have used are taken from the Chinese national health commission.
Updated
Chinese state media is reporting that the government pumped $129bn into the financial system today. It says the money has gone in via “reverse repos”, which is a reverse repurchase agreement. This is the purchase of securities with the agreement to sell them at a higher price at a specific future date.
China's central bank pumped 900 billion yuan (about $129 billion) into the financial system via reverse repos on Monday. pic.twitter.com/AxWDiAywPK
— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) February 10, 2020
A citizen journalist who had been reporting from the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak has gone missing, prompting claims that the Chinese authorities are silencing another whistleblower.
Chen Qiushi, a human rights advocate, has been missing since Thursday – the same day Li Wenliang, a 34-year-old ophthalmologist who was punished by authorities for trying to warn colleagues and friends about a new Sars-like virus, was first reported to have died from the coronavirus.
You can see our full story here.
'Sixty more cases' on Japan cruise ship – reports
Sixty more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed on the Diamond princess cruise ship, domestic broadcaster TBS TV said via Twitter. NHK Japan is also saying around 60 new cases have been identified, quoting the health ministry.
That brings total cases on the ship docked in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, to 130, according to TBS.
When the boat arrived off Japan, authorities initially tested nearly 300 people of the 3,711 on board for the virus, gradually evacuating dozens who tested positive to local medical facilities.
In recent days, testing has expanded to those who had close contact with other infected passengers or crew, and several more cases were reported over the weekend.
Those who remain on the ship have been asked to stay inside their cabins and allowed out only briefly onto open decks.
They have been asked to wear masks and keep a distance from each other when outside, and given thermometers to regularly monitor their temperatures.
Updated
The Mobile World Congress – the largest exhibition for the mobile phone industry – being held in Barcelona this month, has announced travellers from Hubei province will not be admitted. In addition, organisers announced that:
- All travellers from the Hubei province will not be permitted access to the event
- All travellers who have been in China will need to demonstrate proof they have been outside of China 14 days prior to the event (passport stamp, health certificate)
- Temperature screening will be implemented
- Attendees will need to self-certify they have not been in contact with anyone infected
Amazon has announced it will not attend the conference, because of coronavirus-related concerns.
Other companies believed to have pulled out include LG and Ericsson, according to Techcrunch.
China food prices spike 20.6% in January
China’s consumer prices rose at the highest rate in more than eight years, official data on Monday showed, with inflation more than expected on the back of lunar new year demand and a deadly virus outbreak.
The consumer price index (CPI), a key gauge of retail inflation, came in at 5.4% last month on-year, up from 4.5% in December – with prices of pork and fresh vegetables pushing up costs. It’s the highest CPI rise since October 2011.
The report showed that food prices spiked 20.6%, including pork which rose 116% from a year ago, up from the 97% rise in December. The on-month rise for pork was 8.5%.
“People also tend to hoard food and other supplies in this kind of situation. The hoarding will most likely push up prices,” said Lu Ting of Nomura in a research note last Thursday.
Updated
The Economist’s Simon Rabinovitch in Shanghai, has been posting some pictures about the empty streets on the day people were supposed to go back to work.
One final shot to leave you with: Huaihai Middle Road, a central artery, at midday. A few seconds after I took this, a number of cars came by. So it’s not totally dead. But it is still a long way away from normality. (9/9) pic.twitter.com/E2NCzI78Kc
— Simon Rabinovitch (@S_Rabinovitch) February 10, 2020
Anyone using the subway must wear a face mask. This sign reminds people that it must be kept on for the entire journey. (8/) pic.twitter.com/6dwfFMf9Tx
— Simon Rabinovitch (@S_Rabinovitch) February 10, 2020
Many of the offices that are open now require employees to remove their outer footwear before entering. (7/) pic.twitter.com/hskmGS9JcM
— Simon Rabinovitch (@S_Rabinovitch) February 10, 2020
But the organized chaos of the delivery economy is in full swing. Boxes spill onto the pavement outside office towers and apartment blocks. Most everything always ends up where it’s supposed to go. (4/) pic.twitter.com/QCTts8zdbE
— Simon Rabinovitch (@S_Rabinovitch) February 10, 2020
The Journal of the American Medical Association has published a report on the clinical characteristics of 138 coronavirus patients in Wuhan. It details symptoms and clinical characteristics of the virus and gives an insight into infections.
Of the 138 patients covered in the results, common symptoms included fever (99%), fatigue (70%), dry cough (60%).
Less common symptoms were headache, dizziness, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting.
Most patients received antiviral therapy and many also received antibacterial therapy.
About a quarter of patients in the study were admitted to intensive care because of complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome. The median time from the first symptom to shortness of breath (dyspnea) was five days, and eight days to acute respiratory symptoms.
The median hospital stay was 10 days.
The study also found that of the 138 patients, 57 were presumed to have been infected in hospital, including 17 patients (12.3%) who were already hospitalised for other reasons and 40 health care workers (29%).
This may go some way to explaining the rapid building of coronavirus-specific hospitals in Wuhan.
The report says “to our knowledge, is the largest case series to date of hospitalised patients” and was published on 3 February.
For the medically minded, I have attached the report here.
Updated
You can find our latest wrap on the coronavirus below, including the WHO’s warning that confirmed cases of coronavirus being transmitted by people who have never travelled to China could be the “tip of the iceberg”.
As people in Beijing return to work for the first time after lunar new year, state media is reporting a 50% drop in train passengers. “Those not wearing a face mask will be advised to leave the station,” CGTN says.
Today marks the first day of work after the extended Chinese New Year holiday in many Chinese cities.
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) February 10, 2020
Beijing subway has reported about a 50% drop in passenger flow compared to a normal work day; those not wearing a face mask will be advised to leave the station. pic.twitter.com/RH83GOZ6AP
Normal restrictions in Beijing to limit the number of private cars on the road have been lifted temporarily, to help people avoid public transport.
Updated
The state run tabloid Global Times has published footage of Wuhan’s twice-daily disinfections, that began on Sunday.
#Wuhan has started centralized disinfection twice daily since Feb 9 to minimize risk of novel #coronavirus pneumonia contamination. Disinfection is carried out at 10 am & 4 pm everyday in hospital vicinities, centralized isolation points, community areas, etc. #NCP pic.twitter.com/eH0i8jzlG0
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) February 10, 2020
Updated
WHO says we may only be seeing 'tip of the iceberg'
The head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says “we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg” with regards to the spread of the coronavirus. He says the detection of a small number of cases (globally) may indicate more widespread transmission in countries outside China, adding that there have been “some concerning instances” of the virus’s spread from people with no travel history to China.
There’ve been some concerning instances of onward #2019nCoV spread from people with no travel history to 🇨🇳. The detection of a small number of cases may indicate more widespread transmission in other countries; in short, we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 9, 2020
He has reiterated a point he made on Sunday – that “all countries must use the window of opportunity created by the containment strategy to prepare for the virus’s possible arrival”.
Ghebreyesus has called on all countries to share what they know “in real time with @WHO”.
Members of a WHO-led “international expert mission” flew to China on Monday to help coordinate a response to the virus outbreak.
Updated
A little bit more on the Kia announcement. It blames a shortage of parts for the suspension of production at its factories at Gwangju and Sohari on MOnday and Tuesday. It said it would monitor the availability of auto parts in order to determine whether to resume production after that.
Kia’s Hwaseong factory halted output on Monday but is expected to resume production on Tuesday.
Updated
The continued closure of Wuhan means many shops remain closed, making it harder for elderly people to shop, as this tweet from the New York Times Beijing reporter, Chris Buckley, points out.
Food is available in Wuhan, but the closure of many shops makes it much harder for elderly people who don’t have care nearby. And of course many are afraid to step outside. pic.twitter.com/ipvEXPuYde
— Chris Buckley 储百亮 (@ChuBailiang) February 10, 2020
South Korean carmaker Kia is suspending production at three factories in the country, according to Reuters. It follows Hyundai’s decision last week to suspend work at its giant plant at Ulsan, citing a shortage of parts from China.
Kia Motors: To Suspend Production At All Of Its Three Car Manufacturing Sites In South Korea – RTRS
— LiveSquawk (@LiveSquawk) February 10, 2020
In other markets news, the Australian dollar has risen 0.38% on signs that businesses are starting to reopen in China. The Aussie, as the currency is known, is standing at US67.01c after dipping to US66.62. The currency is seen as a proxy for the Chinese economy because of Australia’s close economic ties with China.
Looking at those figures for deaths and infections in China that we reported, I wanted to quickly look at where the suspected infections were. Of the 4,008 new cases of suspected infections, 2,272 are in Hubei province. This is 56% of suspected cases. It compares with last week as per below:
- Sunday: 3,916 suspected new cases; 2,067 in or 53% Hubei
- Saturday: 4,214 suspected new cases; 2,073 or 49% in Hubei
- Friday: 4,833 suspected new cases; 2,622 or 54% in Hubei
- Thursday: 5,328 suspected new cases; 3,230 or 60% in Hubei
- Wednesday: 3,971 suspected new cases; 1957 or 49% in Hubei
- Tuesday: 5,072 suspected new cases; 3,182 or 63% in Hubei
- Monday: 5,173 suspected new cases; 3,260 or 70% in Hubei
- Sunday: 4,562 suspected new cases; 2,606 or 57% in Hubei
Of the 97 new deaths, the overwhelming majority are in Hubei province (91), with 2 in Anhui province, 1 in Heilongjiang province, 1 in Jiangxi province, 1 in Hainan province, and 1 in Gansu province
Updated
Six more people quarantined aboard a luxury cruise liner moored at the Japanese port of Yokohama tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the number of confirmed infections on the Diamond Princess to 70.
The new infections were found among five crew members and one passenger - four Filipinos, one American and one Ukrainian aged from their 20s to 70s, Japan’s health ministry said, adding that none was displaying serious symptoms.
Japan health authorities have now tested 336 of the ship’s 3,700 passengers and crew. Initially, 273 “at risk” people were tested, but all passengers and crew have since been given thermometers and told to take their temperatures every four hours. Those with temperatures of 37.5C have to inform medical workers onboard the ship, British passenger David Abel said in a Facebook post on Monday morning.
The Diamond Princess has been quarantined in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, for a week after it emerged that an 80-year-old man who disembarked in Hong Kong late last month had tested positive. Japan’s government has said that “in principle” the quarantine will end on 19 February.
Kyodo news agency said the government was responding to requests to secure medicine for passengers with chronic health conditions.
The overall number of infected people in Japan now stands at 96 - the highest number outside mainland China. They include 10 people who were evacuated from Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the outbreak is thought to have started.
A Japanese man suspected of being infected with the coronavirus died in Wuhan at the weekend. If the virus is confirmed as the cause of death, the man, in his 60s, would be the first Japanese victim of the respiratory illness.
Stock markets remain fairly calm about the outbreak despite mounting concerns about the impact on the global economy.
The Japanese Nikkei index is down 0.4% so far today, Sydney is off 0.2% and the Kospi in Seoul has lost nearly 1%. The markets in Hong Kong and Shanghai are down 1% and 0.8% after 30 minutes of trading.
in commodities, oil continues to slide on fears of oversupply. Brent crude was down 38 cents to $54.09 a barrel. Nickel, a key steel-making ingredient, has however risen 2% after steep falls last week.
Updated
Tens of millions of people plan to go back to work on Monday as a prolonged Lunar New Year holiday comes to an end. Authorities had extended the end of the holiday, which sees tens of millions of people criss cross the country to go back to work from their hometowns, by 10 extra days because of the virus.
Many cities have been turned into ghost towns over the last few weeks. But it is unclear how much life will go back to normal. Schools are still shut. China’s state council has said that staff should come back in “batches” rather than all at once. Many factories remain shut and many businesses have asked their staff to work from home.
Updated
Foxconn, the company that makes the iPhone, says it is still in talks with the Chinese government over when it can reopen its factories in Shenzhen in the country’s south and Kunshan west of Shanghai, Reuters reports.
But it has been given approval to get workeers back into its facility at Zengzhou in the central province of Henan.
Phillip Inman, economics editor of the Observer, has taken an in-depth look at the effect that coronavirus is having on the global economy.
Among the gloomier possibilities is this:
If the virus continues to spread and Chinese activity remains deeply disrupted for months, a contraction of the global economy is not impossible, particularly as central banks have little effective monetary ammunition for emergencies.
Here’s the full story:
Updated
Reuters reports that China’s agriculture ministry has said the highly pathogenic H5N6 strain of avian flu has been found in a poultry farm in southwestern Sichuan province.
This is the first H5N6 avian flu detected from a poultry farm after four cases found in swans this year.
The ministry said on Sunday night 1,840 birds had died in the farm of 2,497. The rest have been culled.
A memorial for whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang has been held in New York. Li’s death sparked an outpouring of anger inside China. Li was silenced by the government for trying to warn people over the threat of the new virus, and later died after contracting it.
The memorial for Doctor #LiWenliang at Central Park, NYC. The crowd repeated his famous line three times: “一个健康的社会不应该只有一种声音 There should be more than one voice in a healthy society,” followed by a long whistle. pic.twitter.com/fIERhUowH0
— Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅 (@ZeyiYang) February 9, 2020
Some welcome news for the 3,700 people onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is quarantined in Yokohama harbour after several cases of coronavirus among passengers.
The quarantine period of the #DiamondPrincess🚢 will come to an end on 19 February.
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 9, 2020
The period will be extended beyond the 19 Feb as appropriate only for close contacts of newly confirmed cases. They need to remain in quarantine for 14 days from last contact with a confirmed case pic.twitter.com/SlaPaKFfwE
WHO team of experts heads to China
Reuters has more details on the advance team of international experts led by the World Health Organization (WHO) that has left for Beijing to help investigate the epidemic.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who made a trip to Beijing for talks with President Xi Jinping and Chinese ministers in late January, returned with an agreement on sending an international mission.
But it has taken nearly two weeks to get the government’s green light on its composition. The only member of the team that has been made public is WHO veteran Dr Bruce Aylward, a Canadian epidemiologist and emergencies expert, was heading it.
“I’ve just been at the airport seeing off members of an advance team for the @WHO-led £2019nCoV international expert mission to £China, led by Dr Bruce Aylward, veteran of past public health emergencies,” Tedros said in a tweet from Geneva.
I’ve just been at the airport seeing off members of an advance team for the @WHO-led #2019nCoV international expert mission to #China, led by Dr Bruce Aylward, veteran of past public health emergencies.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 9, 2020
Updated
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. Here is where things stand:
- Total deaths in China: 908, up by 97.
- Total infections in China: 40,171, up by 3,062.
- The rise in confirmed cases reverses the significant reduction reported on Sunday. Then, there were 2,656 new cases, which was down by about 20% from the 3,399 reported in the previous 24-hour period.
- China returns to work today, after the end of the new year break, which was extended by 10 days to try to prevent the virus from spreading.
- An advance team of international experts led by the World Health Organization has left for Beijing to help investigate the epidemic.
- There have been reports of “shocking” levels of racism in Britain in the wake of the crisis.
- 3,600 people quarantined on a cruise ship in Hong Kong have been allowed to disembark after tests came back negative.
- French health officials have confirmed that new cases of coronavirus detected in the UK and Mallorca are linked to a cluster in a ski resort.
- A doctor who blew the whistle on the Sars epidemic in 2003 is under house arrest.
