South Korea battles to
contain coronavirus
outbreak
SOUTH KOREA
The
coronavirus infection here reached "an epidemic proportion"
Friday as 102 people were confirmed to have contracted the
highly-contagious virus, raising the total to 206, according to
government officials.
The
number of COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) infections has quadrupled from 51
Wednesday with most new cases being traced to church services in the
southeastern city of Daegu, according to the Korea Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). On Thursday, 53 new cases were
reported.
The
total accumulated number of confirmed cases in Daegu and its
neighboring North Gyeongsang Province stood at 153, with the number
of cases linked to a Daegu church coming to 128.
The
number of confirmed cases at the Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, near
Daegu, stood at 16, including five nurses, according to the KCDC.
KCDC
director Jeong Eun-kyeong during a press briefing early in the day
confirmed that the majority of the new cases were "linked to the
Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu, where the 31st patient, the
country's possible 'super spreader,' attended worship services."
The
61-year-old woman tested positive for the virus earlier this week,
having already attended worship services at the church on Feb. 9 and
Feb. 16.
As
the most new infections have been traced in the city of Daegu, the
2.5 million inhabitants have been asked to stay indoors. Daegu and
its neighboring Cheongdo County were designated as "special
management zones" earlier in the day.
An
office worker living and working in Daegu who requested to remain
anonymous had to return home when he got to work Thursday as one of
the people confirmed to have the coronavirus worked at a neighboring
office.
"Almost
all business activities have stopped here in Daegu. People don't go
to restaurants and eat home or have food delivered, avoiding contact
with people as much as possible," he said. "There also are
mounting complaints against Shincheonji Church of Jesus and its
followers."
To
contain the spread of the virus across the country, the Ministry of
Health and Welfare will allow hospitals to separate respiratory
patients from others to prevent human-to-human transmission while
those infected with the virus are being treated at hospitals.
"All
pneumonia patients in Daegu hospitals will also be checked for the
virus," said Health Minister Park Neung-hoo during a separate
briefing in Seoul.
In
addition, three soldiers were confirmed to have contracted the virus
Friday, including an Air Force officer at the Gyeryongdae military
headquarters. According to the KCDC, three cases were confirmed ―
one each in the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
The
health authorities said all the three service members had visited or
contacted people from the city of Daegu.
Meanwhile,
the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced it would ban any
demonstrations in downtown areas including Gwanghwamun Square, in an
effort to improve containment efforts as the potentially fatal
illness spread across the country.
Massive
weekend rallies at Gwanghwamun Square and Seoul Plaza have recently
raised concerns that COVID-19 could quickly spread in crowded places.
Seoul
Mayor Park Won-soon also announced plans to shut down Seoul branches
of the minor religious sect Shincheonji as the majority of the new
cases appear to be related to the provincial church in Daegu.
Seoul’s
city government said Friday it will ban rallies in the center of the
city and close down the facilities of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus
in Seoul as part of efforts to rein in the spread of the COVID-19
virus.
“We
plan to ban use of Seoul Plaza, Cheonggye Plaza and Gwanghwamun
Plaza,” Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said in a press briefing Friday,
adding the municipality will notify rally organizers of the decision
and consult with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
The
unusual move is to protect the elderly who are especially vulnerable
to contagious diseases, he said, referring to massive weekend rallies
in central Seoul by anti-government, conservative groups mostly
comprised of those in their 60s and older.
Some
nurses at a hospital here have contracted the new coronavirus,
fueling fears that more virus cases will be identified, public health
officials said Friday.
The
Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), and public
health authorities in North Gyeongsang Province said Thursday that
five nurses at the psychiatric ward at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo,
320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, have all tested positive for
COVID-19.
The
country's first death from the virus was reported at the same
hospital.
The
country's health authorities said a total of 16 people have tested
positive for the virus out of 600 patients and medical staff at the
hospital.
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200221000275&np=1&mp=1
HONG KONG
Hong
Kong’s embattled police force is caught up in the coronavirus
crisis after an officer contracted Covid-19 for the first time and
four colleagues who attended a recent banquet with him developed
symptoms, while more than 50 others at the gathering were placed
under quarantine.
The
city had no new confirmed infections to report on Friday, with the
total remaining at 69, but the police infection scare prompted health
authorities to warn against large social gatherings.
“As
there are now more cases and the situation is becoming more
complicated, we will ask police to help us with their supercomputer,”
Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said.
She
was referring to the police force’s Major Incident Investigation
and Disaster Support System, which was used during the 2003 Sars
epidemic for contact tracing and determining areas of high infection
risk.
One
more Hongkonger infected on Diamond Princess, total at 66
22
Feb 2020
However,
Chuang noted that the city was still not experiencing a community
outbreak.
THE PHILIPPINES
Wearing
blue surgical masks amid a coronavirus outbreak, 220 couples
exchanged vows and kisses in the central Philippines to launch their
married lives.
Lovers
and their relatives braved the virus, which has killed 2,236 people,
to attend Thursday's (Feb 20) mass ceremony sponsored by the coastal
city of Bacolod.
The
lobby of city hall was a sea of white shirts and gowns, dotted with
the blue of the masks, which were mandatory for all, and provided by
the authorities.
"It
feels different to kiss while wearing masks, but it was required,"
said John Paul Inventor, 39, who married his partner of seven years
and the mother of their two children.
"The
place was jam-packed."
Participants
had to complete health declarations detailing a travel history for 14
days, the quarantine period across the globe for arrivals from China,
and the maximum incubation time for the virus.
SINGAPORE
Unfortunately this article is behind a paywall
Last
month, 109 people gathered in a Singapore hotel for an international
sales conference held by a U.K.-based company that makes products to
analyze gas.
When
the attendees flew home, some unwittingly took the coronavirus with
them.
This illustrates the spread...
Malaysia
and South Korea have confirmed
three cases of the virus related
to the mid-January company
meeting held with 94 overseas staff at the Grand Hyatt hotel,
and Singapore said late on Wednesday (Feb 5) that four other
attendees were showing symptoms.
The
authorities have not revealed the name of the company that held the
meeting or said what business it is involved in.
Malaysian
health authorities have said people from China including one from the
city of Wuhan, where the virus
emerged in December,
attended.
"WHO
is coordinating with relevant ministries of health in relation to
it," Ms Olivia Lawe-Davies, a spokesman for the WHO, said in
response to questions from Reuters.
"As
countries are stepping up surveillance, the detection of more cases
of local transmission can be expected."
Singapore
has reported 28 cases of the coronavirus, including some involving
person-to-person transmission.
The
cases linked to the Singapore business meeting provide more evidence
the virus is spreading through human-to-human contact outside China,
which the WHO has said is deeply concerning and could signal a much
larger outbreak.
China
reported its biggest
daily jump in fatalities from
the virus on Thursday, up 73 to 563, although there have been only
two reported deaths outside mainland China.
Malaysian
health authorities first revealed the link to the Singapore business
meeting when they confirmed the case of a 41-year-old Malaysian who
had attended it, along with colleagues from China.
South
Korea subsequently confirmed two cases involving South Koreans who
attended the conference. The Koreans and the Malaysian shared a
buffet meal during the conference, South Korean media reported.
Of
the 15 Singapore attendees, four have been referred to its National
Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore's health ministry said. All
the overseas attendees have left Singapore, the ministry added.
A
spokesman for the Grand Hyatt, Mr Gerald Kheng, said the hotel
had been deep cleaned after
it was first informed of the incident by the health ministry on
Tuesday and it was not aware of any other cases among guests or
staff.
The
city-state says no evidence has emerged of widespread community
spread but it announced new precautionary measures on Tuesday
including halting
group activities such as school assemblies.
Several
firms in Singapore have suspended business and media events,
including a big
travel fair,
but the Singapore
Airshow is set to go ahead next week,
albeit on a smaller scale.
CHINA
Upon their completion, all the makeshift hospitals in Wuhan are expected to offer 30,000 beds on Feb 25, said Mr Hu Yabo, deputy mayor of Wuhan at a press briefing on epidemic prevention and control.
To date, Wuhan has converted 13 existing venues into temporary hospitals, with a total of 13,348 beds, and about 9,313 beds have been put into use to treat patients with mild symptoms, said Mr Hu.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/coronavirus-wuhan-to-activate-one-more-temporary-hospital-with-3690-beds
Ministry of Justice officials said on Friday that more than 500 prisoners in five prisons in three provinces had contracted the virus, which has so far sickened almost 80,000 people and killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in China.
“With a heavy heart and sense of responsibility, I am reporting to you that as of February 20, five prisons in Hubei, Shandong and Zhejiang have reported infections among their populations,” He Ping, head of the ministry’s Bureau of Prison Administration, said in Beijing.
More than half of the cases were in the central Chinese province of Hubei, the epicentre of the epidemic, with 230 cases at Wuhan Women’s Prison and 41 cases at Shayang Hanjin Prison.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3051858/china-sends-top-investigators-after-coronavirus-erupts-jails
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