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.
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.
The death toll in the United States from the novel coronavirus rose to 11 on Wednesday, as lawmakers in Congress agreed to provide more than US$8 billion to fight the rapidly spreading disease.
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.
A growing number of discharged coronavirus patients in China and elsewhere are testing positive after recovering, sometimes weeks after being allowed to leave the hospital, which could make the epidemic harder to eradicate.
As the current outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) continues to develop, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) are committed to working together in guiding the travel and tourism sectors’ response to COVID-19.
The coronavirus epidemic caused more death and disruption on Tuesday spreading to new countries as a top health official warned the world was “simply not ready” to contain it. Even as the number of fresh cases declines at the epicenter of the disease in China, there has been a sudden increase in parts of Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.