The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Argentina has risen from two to eight within the past 24 hours, the national Health Ministry said.
Empty public squares, a ghostly train station, and deserted holy sites - a series of striking satellite images have revealed the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on some of the world's busiest spaces.
The Vatican on Friday reported its first coronavirus case and closed some offices to protect hundreds of the micro-state's priests and residents as the virus rages across surrounding Italy. The confirmed case prompted a sympathetic message from the Pope and all but emptied Saint Peter's Square.
Argentina's health officials confirmed the country's second Covid-19 case, a young man currently interned in a private hospital in Buenos Aires. The patient, a 23-year old staff member of a Buenos Aires elected councilor visited the north of Italy and was back on March first, but two days later had a peak of fever and other suspicious symptoms.
One of Britain's biggest airlines, Flybe, collapsed on Thursday with all its flights grounded, the company said, as the coronavirus epidemic takes a heavy toll on airlines around the world.
The spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus or COVID-19 has sent ripples of panic all across the globe. What was thought to be a localized threat in China has quickly grown into an epidemic that has spread into Italy, Iran and South Korea.
Latin American stocks and currencies weakened on Thursday, with Brazil's real slipping to yet another record low, as the rapid spread of the coronavirus sapped risk appetite and investors worried about the scale of the economic fallout.
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva on Wednesday called for an all-out, “no regrets” response to the new coronavirus epidemic which poses a “serious threat” to the global economy.
Argentina and Chile both said on Tuesday they had confirmed their first case of the novel coronavirus in patients who recently returned from travels. A 43-year-old infected Argentine man had returned from Italy on March 1, while a 33-year-old Chilean man had spent a month in southeast Asia.
China will use a Roche Holding AG arthritis drug to treat some coronavirus patients in severe conditions, health authorities said on Wednesday, as the country seeks to build up treatment regiments to help the infected recover.