Addis Ababa, February 27, 2020 (FBC) -Governments ramped up measures on Thursday to battle a global pandemic of the coronavirus as the number of infections outside China, the source of the outbreak, for the first time surpassed those appearing inside the country.
Australia initiated emergency measures and Taiwan raised its epidemic response level to its highest, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump put his vice president, Mike Pence, in charge of the U.S. response to the looming global health crisis.
The United States and South Korea postponed joint military drills to limit its the spread of the virus, which has emerged far beyond China, where it originated late last year, apparently in a market selling wildlife in the city of Wuhan.
Oil and Asian share markets extended losses as the rapid global spread of the coronavirus kept investors on edge and seeking safety in gold and bonds.
The coronavirus has infected more than 80,000 people and killed nearly 2,800, the majority in China.
Its rapid spread in different places – notably Italy, Iran and South Korea – in recent days met the definition for a pandemic, and raised alarm.
Denmark became the latest country to confirm a case, in a man who returned from a ski holiday in Italy.
Brazil confirmed Latin America’s first infection on Wednesday, while Pakistan, Sweden, Norway, Greece, Romania and Algeria also reported their first cases.
China reported 433 new cases on Thursday, against 406 a day earlier.
South Korea reported another 334 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, pushing its total to 1,595, the most in any country other than China.
Italy reported another 100 cases nationwide, taking the total in Europe’s biggest hot spot to more than 400, while its death toll rose to 12.
Iraq on Wednesday banned public gatherings and barred entry by travelers from Kuwait and Bahrain because of the spread of the new coronavirus.
Saudi Arabia suspended foreigners’ entry for the Umrah pilgrimage and tourism from countries with new coronavirus cases. The kingdom has no cases.
Source: Reuters