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  1. #926
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    panama hat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kmart View Post
    The sad thing is, that the scales of these animals contains keratin which is what they're hunted for; but has no medical value whatsoever.
    Like most things that are part of traditional Chinese medicines or tonics . . .

  2. #927
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chico View Post
    You forgot Aussie and Kiwi.
    I thought Kiwi would be an insult too far...

    (Sorry, Kiwis, but seems as you have the hot blood in youse, you are safe from the CoronitaVirus.)

  3. #928
    I'm in Jail

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    Panama Hat is taking the bull by the horns....he appears to be smoking a corona.

  4. #929
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    Quote Originally Posted by Latindancer View Post
    Panama Hat is taking the bull by the horns....he appears to be smoking a corona.
    You may follow the smoke's advice

  5. #930
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chico View Post
    Harry, WHO is must likely to blow this up,but they ain't,there reputation is on the line if it became serious and they are holding the line. Which means to me, they believe the Chinese are doing the best they can presently, which if true the cases are declining.
    Maybe they do think the chinkies are doing their best, but clearly their best has not been good enough.

    Meanwhile, the chinkies are stopping them going in to see how well they are doing.

    Are you completely fucking thick?

  6. #931
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Luigi View Post
    They probably cut down the chances of it spreading by immediately hanging them from a crane.
    I wasn't going to say anything, but if I was one of these three I'd be shitting myself. (Added: Over and above having a potentially fatal virus).

    Tehran, Iran - Authorities in Iran have confirmed three new cases of the coronavirus, a day after two people died from the infection in the city of Qom.
    Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to Iran's health minister, said on Wednesday a total of five cases have been confirmed in Iran so far.
    "The three new cases from today include two in Qom and one in Araq in central Iran. The case in Araq is a doctor," he told Al Jazeera. "It remains unclear where the virus in Iran has come."

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/iran-confirms-coronavirus-cases-200220125104907.html
    Last edited by harrybarracuda; 20-02-2020 at 11:33 PM.

  7. #932
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    Fact-checking hoaxes and conspiracies about the coronavirus
    FACEBOOK FACT-CHECKS

    January 24, 2020

    Falsehoods about a new strain of the coronavirus spreading from China vary widely, from Facebook posts that take a patent out of context to conspiracy theories about Bill Gates. Many of the claims were shared by Facebook and Twitter users, and others were propagated on the fringe internet and notorious conspiracy websites. One falsehood was even shared by a 2020 U.S. Senate candidate.
    ---
    "The Coronavirus PATENT is owned by the Pirbright Institute," said Shiva Ayyadurai, a Republican running for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, in a Facebook post. Ayyadurai has been associated with a variety of conspiracy theorists and right-wing provocateurs.

    As evidence, the posts link to pages for a patent on Google and Justia. But that patent is related to a form of coronavirus that could potentially be used as a vaccine to prevent diseases in birds and other animals. Pirbright scientists do not currently work on any human coronaviruses.​

    "There are no vaccines available for any coronaviruses let alone the (Wuhan) one," Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Health Security, told PolitiFact.

    ---

    Gates Foundation predicted virus, ‘funded group who owns virus patent’

    Several Facebook posts, blogs and YouTube videos claim that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation predicted, and are somehow profiting from, the coronavirus outbreak. The allegations were circulated widely in QAnon and other conspiracy Facebook groups and pages, as well as on 4chan, a fringe internet forum where several high-profile conspiracies were created.

    But this claim takes unrelated events and financial connections out of context and morphs them into an inaccurate narrative about the coronavirus.

    As evidence, those posts point to financial ties between the Gates Foundation and the United Kingdom-based Pirbright Institute, as well as an event held Oct. 18, 2019.

    "The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the World Economic Forum co-hosted an event in NYC where ‘policymakers, business leaders, and health officials’ worked together on a simulated coronavirus outbreak," reads an article published by a website called IntelliHub. (PolitiFact has debunked some of its content before.)

    That article was republished from InfoWars, a conspiracy website run by Alex Jones. The outlet has spread misinformation about victims of the Sandy Hook shooting and the sexual orientation of frogs, for example.

    The Oct. 18 outbreak simulation did happen, and tax records show that the Gates Foundation has supported the Pirbright Institute in the past. The Pirbright Institute owns a patent for a form of coronavirus that could potentially be used as a vaccine to prevent diseases in animals. Pirbright scientists do not currently work on human coronaviruses like the Wuhan strain.

    But those disparate facts don’t prove that the Gates Foundation has somehow profited from the most recent outbreak of the coronavirus. If anything, they show that the foundation has funded organizations that work to prevent epidemics.

    PolitiFact | Fact-checking hoaxes and conspiracies about the coronavirus

  8. #933
    Thailand Expat HermantheGerman's Avatar
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    SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea on Friday declared the southeast city of Daegu and the surrounding region a "special management zone" after a surge in virus cases that city officials say threaten to overwhelm the region's health system.
    Prime Minister Chung Se-kyun said the national government will concentrate its support to the region to ease a shortage in sickbeds, medical personnel and equipment.

    "A month into the (COVID-19) outbreak, we have entered an emergency phase," Chung said. "Our efforts until now had been focused on blocking the illness from entering the country. But we will now shift the focus on preventing the illness from spreading further in local communities."
    https://local12.com/news/nation-worl...er-virus-cases

  9. #934
    Thailand Expat HermantheGerman's Avatar
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    Ukrainians Hurl Stones at China Evacuees En Route to Quarantine Amid Coronavirus Fears

    (NOVI SANZHARY, Ukraine) — Ukraine’s effort to quarantine more than 70 people evacuated from China over the new virus outbreak plunged into chaos Thursday as local residents opposing the move hurled stones at the evacuees and clashed with police.

    Officials deplored the violence and the country’s health minister pledged to share evacuees’ quarantine for two weeks in a bid to reassure protesters who fear they’ll be infected......
    “I was shocked by the panic, rejection, negative feelings and aggression,” she said. “It was even a greater shock for the people who were evacuated from China.”
    Ukrainians Hurl Stones at China Evacuees Amid COVID-19 Fears | Time

  10. #935
    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    Quite obvious, whoever one doesn't like or envies must be behind it.

    I haven't been focused on this lately and I'm sure it's possible to compile a longer list, but so far my monitor tells me it's the CIA, Gates, China, Iran, Muslims and Jews. Says much about how many fcuked up people are out there with no life and plenty of spare time. Maybe they're all wrong and it was Trump, the food industry or aliens.

  11. #936
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    500 Chinese prisoners infected with Covid-19The director of Wuhan Women’s Prison has been removed from her position, according to the Hubei Daily, where it’s believed 230 inmates have tested positive for Covid-19.


    Another 41 prisoners in Shayang Hanjin prison, also tested positive, according to reports in the Hubei Daily.
    Coronavirus: China prisons report 500 cases, as virus spreads in South Korea – live updates | World news | The Guardian

    Considering the close quarters in Chinese prisons it's a good bet there are many many more cases.

  12. #937
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Meanwhile the chinkies are still stopping the WHO from going into Hubei (Roger Daltrey must be very pissed off).


    Authorities in China's Hubei province confirmed an additional 411 cases of the virus Thursday morning, 62 more than the previous day, taking the total number of cases at the epicenter of the outbreak to 62,442.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/21/asia/novel-coronavirus-covid-19-update-intl-hnk/index.html




  13. #938
    Thailand Expat HermantheGerman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jabir View Post
    Quite obvious, whoever one doesn't like or envies must be behind it.

    I haven't been focused on this lately and I'm sure it's possible to compile a longer list, but so far my monitor tells me it's the CIA, Gates, China, Iran, Muslims and Jews. Says much about how many fcuked up people are out there with no life and plenty of spare time. Maybe they're all wrong and it was Trump, the food industry or aliens.
    The world's population is a mental case!
    If you are looking for new job with sheer endless opportunities, customers, and money to made, then you should look into becoming a psychiatrist or therapist. Burn out syndrome, PBA, depressions etc. are heading higher then any stock market in this world.
    What you don't believe me? Try making an appointment.

  14. #939
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Health minister attempts to allay fears over planned COVID-19 dangerous infectious disease designation

    Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has asked members of the public to stay calm over the ministry’s proposal to designate COVID-19 as Thailand’s 14th dangerous infectious disease.





    In his Facebook post today, the minister said that the proposal, which he and the Infectious Disease Control Committee is yet to endorse, is intended to support medical personnel performance in containing the spread of coronavirus and to provide legal cover for official actions.


    He said that members of the Infectious Disease Control Committee are senior doctors, who have experience in coping with infectious diseases, adding that people can still pursue a normal life.





    The minister explained that the designation of COVID-19 as a dangerous infectious disease would empower authorities to impose necessary measures, such as a lockdown of a town or a community to screen the people there.


    He disclosed that Thailand has already designated 13 dangerous infectious diseases, such as SARS and MERS, and has been successful in containing their spread.





    Dr. Yong Phusuwan, chief virologist at the Medical Science Faculty of Chulalongkorn University, recommended maximum measures be used to prevent what he described as the “super spread” of COVID-19.


    He cited the example of the super spread of SARS in Singapore, which started with just one patient, and the super spread of MERS in South Korea, which originated in one infected patient at an emergency ward, resulting in an outbreak which left many people dead.





    Dr. Yong also noted the spread of COVID-19 among passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, where the virus spread from one infected passenger from Hong Kong to between 500-600 other passengers, despite the precautionary measures imposed on board.


    Isolating those who are sick, even though infection is yet to be confirmed, is also a necessary step to prevent the spread of the disease, said Dr. Yong.

    Health minister attempts to allay fears over planned COVID-19 dangerous infectious disease designation – Thai PBS World

  15. #940
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Thai residents in China urged to fly back when they can

    BANGKOK(NNT) - The Department of Consular Affairs has advised Thai nationals residing in China to consider travel out of China while airlines are still operating. Those who find it necessary to stay in China, are reminded to obey instructions from the authorities.


    The Department of Consular Affairs has issued its latest warning regarding the COVID-19 epidemic, asking Thai nationals in mainland China who have no necessity to remain there, to consider travel out of China during this period while airlines are still operating. The department has also asked Thai people to avoid non-essential travel to China at this time.


    Thai nationals residing in China are advised to follow the latest developments closely and obey instructions from the Chinese authorities to minimize the risk of infection.


    Those of you who have relatives in China and wish to make contact can visit the Department of Consular Affairs Facebook page, where hotline numbers for the Royal Thai Embassy and Consulates General are available, or call the Department of Consular Affairs at 02 572 8442.

    http://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/de...00220183214539

  16. #941
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Those of you living in the GCC might want to take note of this. Someone sent it to me from Bahrain, but I can't see them doing it and the rest not having their own plans.

    Manama, Feb 21 (BNA): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Interior, has activated several procedures related to arrivals to the Kingdom of Bahrain in light of the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).


    The procedures include:


    - Banning entry to all foreign visitors who have visited the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Malaysia and the Republic of South Korea within 14 days of their date of arrival in the Kingdom.


    - Bahraini citizens, GCC citizens and Bahraini residents who have visited Iran, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia or South Korea within 14 days of arriving in Bahrain will be subject to quarantine and enhanced testing procedures, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).


    - The Ministry advises citizens and residents to follow WHO guidelines and avoid all but essential travel to areas where Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been detected. (MOFA)




    AOQ

    Citizens warned not to travel to Iran, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea because of COVID-19

  17. #942
    RIP
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    A former passenger on the cruise ship MS Westerdam who tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus in Malaysia having left the vessel has led to fears that other passengers who have also moved on might have been exposed to the virus.

    Efforts are now being made to track down those who have left the ship and Cambodia's decision to let the vessel dock - a move praised by the World Health Organization (WHO) - is now being questioned.

    An outbreak on another cruise ship, the Diamond Princess which is quarantined off Japan, is the biggest infection cluster outside China with more than 600 confirmed cases.

    How did the Westerdam end up in Cambodia?
    The Westerdam was taking 1,455 passengers and 802 crew on a cruise around Asia.

    It was heading to Japan, but was turned away. No-one on board was feeling unwell but the ship had previously docked in Hong Kong, which has been badly hit by the virus. That was enough to spark worries the virus could have found its way on board.

    Are cruise ships really 'floating Petri dishes'?
    Are coronavirus tests flawed?
    Watching loved ones die without care in Wuhan
    The cruise ship was then turned away by four other countries, but last Thursday it was finally allowed to dock in Sihanoukville, Cambodia . The WHO called it an "example of international solidarity".

    What happened after it docked?
    About 20 passengers had clinical tests on board because they were ill. But the vast majority had their temperature taken and filled out a form. Most of these passengers then left the boat.

    One passenger - an 83-year-old US woman - took a plane to Malaysia along with 144 other passengers. She recorded a high temperature on landing in Kuala Lumpur and tested positive for the virus.

    Only after that were the remaining passengers quarantined and clinically tested - but by then hundreds had already left.


    Video caption The Westerdam was finally able to dock in Sihanoukville, Cambodia
    Dr Asok Karup from the Infectious Diseases Care clinic in Singapore says all passengers should have been clinically screened and quarantined. He described the process of self-certifying on a form that they were symptom-free as "completely inappropriate".

    Spending two weeks aboard the vessel did not count as a proper quarantine because passengers could have come into contact with an infected person at any point during that period, he added.

    Westerdam's operator Holland America Line said there had been "no indication of COVID-19 on the ship" during its voyage. During the quarantine period it said it carried out temperature checks and health screenings.

    But "ships are not designed for quarantine," Dale Fisher, professor in infectious diseases at the National University of Singapore and chair of the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, told the BBC.

    "If passengers are allowed to socialise, then it is possible that the virus would continue to transmit during this period of quarantine. In a typical quarantine set-up there are basic comforts, regular temperature taking, and questioning, but no mixing of those quarantined."

    "In my view quarantining on board a ship is suboptimal - it would be useful to keep details of all the travellers in case, there is a case later then people can be easily contacted."

    Why did Cambodia's leader greet the passengers?
    In Sihanoukville - a city with strong economic ties to China - the disembarking passengers were met with flowers and traditional Cambodian scarves by Prime Minister Hun Sen himself.

    Neither the country's authoritarian leader nor anyone else in the welcoming party was wearing any protective gear, such as face masks.

    Hun Sen had already expressed scepticism about the risks posed by the virus and offered to go personally to the Chinese city of Wuhan - the centre of the outbreak - to tell frightened Cambodians living there that they must stay put for the sake of relations with China, a vital ally for his country.

    Image copyright EPA Passengers released from the MS Westerdam cruise ship in Cambodia
    Image caption Hun Sen was eager to demonstrate he didn't fear the virus
    After that ostentatious welcome, some of passengers then began to be moved to the capital, Phnom Penh, from where some then continued their journeys.

    Presentational grey line
    Why did Cambodia take the risk?
    Jonathan Head, BBC South East Asia Correspondent

    Cambodia's Hun Sen saw the Westerdam as an opportunity. As an authoritarian ruler who has held office for 35 years, he did not have to worry about public criticism over allowing it to dock.

    Also, by attracting so much attention to his offer he not only appeared generous, but also diverted media attention from the European Union decision the same week to withdraw vital trade privileges from Cambodia over the government's suppression of the political opposition.

    Most of all it gave Hun Sen something he has wanted for a long time; a chance to repair relations with the US. These were badly frayed three years ago when the opposition leader Kem Sokha, who looked on course to beat Hun Sen in the 2018 election, was arrested and accused of plotting, with US backing, to overthrow the government.

    Independent media were shut down, journalists arrested, and the US pro-democracy organisation NDI forced to close.

    The current US ambassador Patrick Murphy has worked hard to improve ties since he was appointed in August last year. The need to get 650 Americans home off the Westerdam offered a chance to do that.

    Presentational grey line
    Where are the passengers now?
    On Tuesday Holland America confirmed that all passengers still on board had tested negative.

    The Westerdam would stay in port "for at least a few more days until testing is complete on the 747 crewmembers", the company said.

    Of the several hundred passengers in hotels in Phnom Penh, some have already had negative tests returned and are free to leave, others are awaiting results.

    It is thought that about 650 of the guests on board the ship were from the US, 270 from Canada, 130 from the UK, 100 from the Netherlands, 50 from Germany and several passengers from Australia.

    The crew consisted largely of Indonesians and Filipinos.

    What is being done in response?
    Holland America says it has shared information on the passengers with the respective countries who can now try to get in touch with them.

    The UK said it was offering consular assistance to British Westerdam passengers, asking them to get in touch.

    Image copyright EPA Passengers leaving the Westerdam
    Image caption Some passengers are still in Cambodia, others have already left
    Canada is asking all its citizens returning from the vessel to self isolate for 14 days once back home, local media report.

    What are the symptoms?
    'No change' in virus outbreak despite China spike
    'I didn't want to take coronavirus to Africa'
    Malaysia has since said all other passengers from the Westerdam transiting in Kuala Lumpur had left the country and that it would not allow any more of the ship's guests to enter or transit.

    Thailand has also barred Westerdam passengers from entering - but only after several had already arrived to Bangkok where they were being screened again.

    Other countries such as Singapore have also said they won't allow any former Westerdam passengers to enter except for two of its citizens who have already returned and are in home quarantine.

  18. #943
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    From Twatter:

    Iran's health ministry says 'it is possible' coronavirus exists in all Iranian cities; there are currently 18 confirmed cases, 4 dead - Reuters

  19. #944
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chittychangchang View Post
    Why did Cambodia's leader greet the passengers?
    In Sihanoukville - a city with strong economic ties to China - the disembarking passengers were met with flowers and traditional Cambodian scarves by Prime Minister Hun Sen himself.
    a possible silver lining...

  20. #945
    I'm in Jail

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    Indeed....he even hugged some.

    Fingers crossed.

  21. #946
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    Looks like it's up to the Bloody Australians to save the world. While most of the world has been running around like a headless chook, It took Not just Australians but Bloody Queenslanders to develop a vaccine while the rest of the world was pissing about. It was made possible by using special technology developed in, where else? Australia. Australians are so smart it's frightening.

    Australian coronavirus vaccine goes into test production

  22. #947
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    Korea is increasing...



    One of our professors told me this morning that a Chinese student who has been galavanting around the local area, tested positive yesterday (although, I am not sure if this is true or just some gossip?), so the numbers are likely to increase here...
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails The COVID-2019 Thread-screenshot-2020-02-22-16-21-a  
    Cycling should be banned!!!

  23. #948
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    ^ those numbers for South Korea are already out of date, even though I checked the website about an hour ago.

    We now have 346 in Korea, so that's a 50% jump overnight, and the suspected cases are a lot higher. I reckon Korea will have 1,000 confirmed cases within a week.

    S. Korea's virus cases surge to 346 on church services, cluster outbreak at hospital

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails The COVID-2019 Thread-screenshot-2020-02-22-16-55-a  

  24. #949
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Oh dear.

    SHANGHAI (REUTERS) - A 70-year-old man in China's Hubei province was infected with coronavirus but did not show symptoms until 27 days later, the local government said on Saturday (Feb 22), meaning the virus' incubation period could be much longer than the presumed 14 days.

    A longer incubation period could complicate efforts to contain spread of the epidemic that has so far killed more than 2,000 people and spread outside China.

    The man, identified only by his family name, Jiang, on Jan 24 drove his car to Shennongjia, in north-western Hubei, from eastern Ezhou, where he had close contact with his sister, who had been infected, according to the government website of Hubei, the virus epicentre.


    He had a fever on Thursday and tested positive for coronavirus a day later, according to the government statement.

    https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/man-infected-with-coronavirus-but-did-not-show-symptoms-until-27-days-later-says

  25. #950
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Oh dear pt 2.

    In South Korea, Singapore and Iran, clusters of infections are leading to a jump in cases of the new viral illness outside China. But it’s not the numbers that are worrying experts: It’s that increasingly they can’t trace where the clusters started.

    World Health Organization officials said China’s crackdown on parts of the country bought time for the rest of the world to prepare for the new virus. But as hot spots emerge around the globe, trouble finding each source — the first patient who sparks every new cluster — might signal the disease has begun spreading too widely for tried-and-true public health steps to stamp it out.

    “A number of spot fires, occurring around the world is a sign that things are ticking along, and what we are going to have here is probably a pandemic,” said Ian Mackay, who studies viruses at Australia’s University of Queensland.


    That worst-case isn’t here yet, the WHO insists. It isn’t convinced that countries outside China need more draconian measures, but it pointed to spikes in cases in Iran and South Korea to warn that time may be running out to contain the virus.


    “What we see is a very different phase of this outbreak depending where you look,” said WHO’s Dr. Sylvie Briand. “We see different patterns of transmission in different places.”


    The World Health Organization defines a “global pandemic” as a disease spreading on two continents, though some public health experts would call an outbreak a pandemic if the spread is over a wide area or across many international borders.


    The newest red flag: Iran reported 18 cases, including four deaths, in just two days. The cluster began in the city of Qom, a popular religious destination, but it’s not clear how. Worse, infected travelers from Iran already have been discovered in Lebanon and Canada.


    In South Korea, most of the more than 280 new cases detected since Wednesday are linked to a church in the city of Daegu and a nearby hospital. But health authorities have not yet found the “index case,” the person among the church’s 9,000 followers who set off the chain of infections.


    There also have been several cases in the capital, Seoul, where the infection routes have not yet been traced. In Europe, Italy saw cases of the new virus more than quadruple in a day as it grapples with infections in a northern region that apparently have spread through a hospital and a cafe.


    A cluster of cases isn’t inherently worrying — in fact, it’s expected as an infection that’s easy to spread is carried around the world by travelers. The first line of defense: Isolate the sick to treat them and prevent further spread, and quarantine people who came in contact with them until the incubation period is over.


    But as the virus becomes more widespread, trying to trace every contact would be futile, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged earlier this month.


    “If we still hospitalize and isolate every suspect case, our hospitals will be overwhelmed,” he said. So far, the city-state has identified five clusters of transmission, including two churches. But there remain eight locally transmitted cases with no links to earlier cases, or to China.


    Viruses vary in how they infect. The new coronavirus — unlike its cousins SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, and MERS, or Middle East respiratory syndrome — spreads as easily as a common cold.

    And it’s almost certainly being spread by people who show such mild symptoms that no one can tell, said Dr. Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

    “If that’s the case, all of these containment methods are not going to work,” Adalja said. “It’s likely mixed in the cold and flu season all over the place, in multiple countries” and gone unnoticed until someone gets severely ill.

    These milder symptoms are good news “in terms of not as many people dying,” said Mackay, of Australia. “But it’s really bad news if you are trying to stop a pandemic,” he added.

    When Hong Kong reported it first death from the virus earlier this month, it also confirmed three locally transmitted cases with no known link to any previous cases or any travel history to China. Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Center for Health Protection warned then that “there could be invisible chains of infection happening within communities.”

    Officials in both South Korea and Japan have signaled in the past week that the spread is entering a new phase in their countries.

    On Friday, South Korean Prime Minister Chung Se-kyun said the government would have to shift its focus from quarantine and border control to slowing the spread of the virus. Schools and churches were closed and some mass gatherings banned.


    Takaji Wakita, head of Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases, earlier urged people to work at home or in shifts to avoid being in a crowd, and refrain from holding non-essential and non-urgent meetings.


    But Adalja cautioned that far-reaching measures like China instituted in the outbreak’s epicenter of Wuhan — where citizens have been ordered to stay in their homes for weeks — can backfire. While it remains to be seen if the new virus is waning, that kind of lockdown makes it hard for people to get other critically important care, like fast treatment for a heart attack.


    There’s no way to predict if the recent clusters will burn out or trigger widespread transmission.


    For now, health officials should try and contain the infection for as long as possible while preparing for a change in strategy by preparing hospitals, readying protective equipment and bolstering laboratory capacity, said Gagandeep Kang, a microbiologist who leads India’s Translational Health Science and Technology Institute.

    “Although the window of opportunity is narrowing to contain the outbreak, we still have a chance to contain it,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “But while doing that, we have to prepare at the same time for any eventualities, because this outbreak could go any direction – it could even be messy.”

    https://apnews.com/783c7a396adf5f99b8cff399f9478e36

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