Must Read WHO declares global emergency as China virus death toll reaches 170

[webfact]

WHO declares global emergency as China virus death toll reaches 170

By Lusha Zhang and Stephanie Nebehay

 

Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks next to Michael J. Ryan, Executive Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme during a news conference after a meeting of the Emergency Committee on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Geneva, Switzerland January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

 

BEIJING/GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday it was declaring the China coronavirus outbreak that has killed 170 people in China a global emergency, as cases spread to 18 countries.

 

The United States reported its first case of person-to-person transmission. Experts say cases of person-to-person transmission - which have also been detected outside China in Germany, Vietnam, and Japan - are especially concerning because they suggest greater potential for the virus to spread further.

 

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, told a news conference in Geneva that recent weeks have witnessed an unprecedented outbreak which has been met by an unprecedented response.

 

"Let me be clear, this declaration is not a vote of no confidence in China," he said. "Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems."

 

The declaration of a global emergency triggers recommendations to all countries. It is aimed at preventing or reducing cross-border spread of disease.

 

Tedros said the WHO was not recommending limiting trade or travel to China due to the outbreak, however.

 

The vast majority of the more than 7,800 cases detected globally, according to the latest WHO data, have been in China, where the virus originated in an illegal wildlife market in the city of Wuhan.

 

But nearly 100 cases have emerged in other countries, spurring cuts to travel, outbreaks of anti-China sentiment in some places and a surge in demand for protective face masks.

 

Officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the flu-like virus was confirmed in a man in Illinois, bringing the total number of U.S. cases to six. The man's wife, who was also infected, had previously travelled to China, but he had not.

 

TIGHTER CONTAINMENT

The WHO held off twice last week from declaring a global emergency. Thursday's move will trigger tighter containment and information-sharing guidelines, but may disappoint Beijing, which had expressed confidence it can beat the "devil" virus.

 

Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said the WHO decision was "absolutely right".

 

"Declaration of an international emergency will undoubtedly sharpen governments' focus on protecting citizens," Farrar said. The needed public health measures would be a "challenge" for all countries, but would be especially difficult for lower-income countries, he added.

 

The virus has spread quickly since the WHO's Emergency Committee last met a week ago. But there has been no death reported outside China and neither has the virus emerged in Africa.

 

"The vast majority of cases outside China have a history of travel to Wuhan or history of contact with someone with a travel history to Wuhan," said Teros.

 

ECONOMIC IMPACT

The total number of infections has already surpassed the total in the 2002-2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic.

 

SARS also came from China, killing about 800 people and costing the global economy an estimated $33 billion.

 

Economists fear the impact could be bigger this time as China now accounts for a larger share of the world economy. Markets have been spooked since news of the virus emerged earlier this month.

 

Companies have also been rattled and Alphabet Inc's <GOOGL.O> Google and Sweden's IKEA were the latest big names to close China operations. South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS> extended its Lunar New Year holiday closure for some Chinese production facilities.

 

Airlines to suspend flights to mainland China include Air France <AIRF.PA>, Lufthansa <LHAG.DE>, Air Canada <AC.TO>, American Airlines <AAL.O> and British Airways <ICAG.L>.

 

Thousands of factory workers currently on Lunar New Year holidays may struggle to get back to work next week due to travel restrictions.

 

China dominated U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's news conference on Wednesday. "When China's economy slows down we do feel that," he said.

 

(Reporting by Pei Li, Gabriel Crossley, Cate Cadell, Kevin Yao and Muyu Xu in Beijing; Samuel Shen and David Stanway in Shanghai; Josh Smith, Sangmi Cha and Joyce Lee in Seoul, Chang-Ran Kim in Tokyo and Se Young Lee; Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Kate Kelland in London; Crispian Balmer in Rome; Thu Thu Aung in Yangon; Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Writing by Alex Richardson and Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Frances Kerry and Lisa Shumaker)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-31

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[mike787]

and here we go...it's finally an emergency...

[Kelsall]

Too late.  We all knew this was a global emergency a week ago.

[GanDoonToonPet]

This is mass hysteria! Most people in hospital are old / immuno-suppressed so they are the most likely to die. The vast majority of infected people will just have a sniffle (common cold) and 'recover' in a few days.

[Kelsall]

11 minutes ago, GanDoonToonPet said:

This is mass hysteria! Most people in hospital are old / immuno-suppressed so they are the most likely to die. The vast majority of infected people will just have a sniffle (common cold) and 'recover' in a few days.

Source?  Particularly "The vast majority of infected people will just have a sniffle (common cold) and 'recover' in a few days."

Edited January 30, 2020 by Kelsall

[GanDoonToonPet]

12 minutes ago, Kelsall said:

Source?  Particularly "The vast majority of infected people will just have a sniffle (common cold) and 'recover' in a few days."

Source? Have you been reading the news?

 

Simple logic, and past experience, dictates that most people who are infected won't be sick enough to need hospital treatment. Therefore using the ratio of 'recovered / deaths' using hospital admissions will introduce a positive bias.

 

I've taught in China for the last 2 years & have taught in Thailand for 8 years. Due to the low herd immunity in schools I've constantly had a 'sniffle' for the last 10 years.

 

All of this hysteria is just novelty aversion. Remember HIV & toilets seats?

[metisdead]

Posts containing unsubstantiated graphs or information have been removed.  Please provide a valid link to the source of information when posting:

 

14) You will not post any copyrighted material except as fair use laws apply (as in the case of news articles). Please only post a link, the headline and the first three sentences.

[Salerno]

How fast did the virus spread?

• December 8: First signs of symptoms among stallholders in a Wuhan seafood market
• January 1: Market closed to contain the outbreak
• January 10: Gene sequencing confirms the virus is new
• January 13: First international case reported in Thailand
• January 16: Case confirmed in Japan
• January 20: Cases confirmed in South Korea
• January 21: Cases confirmed in Taiwan and the US
• January 23: Cases confirmed in Vietnam, Singapore
• January 24: The virus reaches Europe, with two confirmed cases in France
• January 25: The first case confirmed in Australia
• January 29: Four confirmed cases in United Arab Emirates and one in Finland
• January 30: 20 countries with confirmed cases of the virus

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-31/coronavirus-map-tracks-spread-throughout-world/11912828

[Kelsall]

12 minutes ago, GanDoonToonPet said:

Source? Have you been reading the news?

 

Simple logic, and past experience, dictates that most people who are infected won't be sick enough to need hospital treatment. Therefore using the ratio of 'recovered / deaths' using hospital admissions will introduce a positive bias.

 

I've taught in China for the last 2 years & have taught in Thailand for 8 years. Due to the low herd immunity in schools I've constantly had a 'sniffle' for the last 10 years.

 

All of this hysteria is just novelty aversion. Remember HIV & toilets seats?

Please reread the topic subject line: 

"WHO declares global emergency as China virus death toll reaches 170"

 

Also, nowhere in the OP do they mention anything remotely close to

"The vast majority of infected people will just have a sniffle (common cold) and 'recover' in a few days."

Edited January 30, 2020 by Kelsall

[zydeco]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"Let me be clear, this declaration is not a vote of no confidence in China," he said. "Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems."  Tedros said the WHO was not recommending limiting trade or travel to China due to the outbreak, however.

The head of WHO is an Ethiopian politician whose country is bought and paid for by China. This guy Xi's puppet.

Edited January 30, 2020 by zydeco

[GanDoonToonPet]

8 minutes ago, Kelsall said:

Please reread the topic subject line: 

"WHO declares global emergency as China virus death toll reaches 170"

 

Also, nowhere in the OP do they mention anything remotely close to

"The vast majority of infected people will just have a sniffle (common cold) and 'recover' in a few days."

I long ago learnt to ignore newspaper headlines, particularly ones involving 'China virus', as they often contradict the story...but anyway

 

I wasn't just referring to the OP but the body of news & research during the last few weeks. Everything sensible is being done to contain the 'outbreak', even more than is sensible... 

 

I'm due to fly back to Suzhou, China next week & I'm not worried. ????

[AlexRich]

The WHO top guy sounded like the head of the Chinese Tourism Board, waxing lyrical about the Chinese authorities. The same authorities that knew about it but allowed 5 million Wuhan residents to spread it across the world.

 

[Curt1591]

47 minutes ago, GanDoonToonPet said:

This is mass hysteria! Most people in hospital are old / immuno-suppressed so they are the most likely to die. The vast majority of infected people will just have a sniffle (common cold) and 'recover' in a few days.

Yes; the common flu kills tens of thousands, every year, mostly the old, the very young, and others will weakened immune systems. 

Now, I'm not a virologist. But, "the flu" does come and go every year. However, once in a while, one strain catches the eye of "experts". This time it is coronavirus. They are very concerned.

Now, for the young, strong, healthy folks, it may come and go like any other flu. But, does Buck Studly really want to bring it home to Grandma, or that cute little infant that may be in their lives?

Long before this "mass hysteria", when out and about, in crowded environments, such as public transportation and shopping malls, we wear masks. I can't begin to count the number of times people have coughed or sneezed directly on or at me. This is Asia. Covering a cough is prectically unheard of.

If you wish to ignore any precautions, more power to you. But, if you do come down with a "common flu", would you please wear a mask - not for yourself, but for those around you. 

[AlexRich]

2 minutes ago, Forethat said:

A Coronavirus is a family of viruses. There are different types. A majority of people all over the world have been infected by a Coronavirus at least once. Probably several times. 
The vast majority of infected people will just have a sniffle (common cold) and 'recover' in a few days. The type in question (2019-nCov) has a tendency to cause an infection that dives a little deeper down in the respiratory tract and cause pneumonia, in particular, when the person suffers from a heart disease, is old or have a weak immune system. But most people will experience symptoms similar to a flu or a cold. A sniffle.

It’s a pity you didn’t explain that to the three Chinese people covered in blankets on the floor of a Wuhan hospital ... it would have made them feel reassured just before they collapsed and died.

 

i don’t believe the numbers coming out of China, this virus is highly contagious and has killed more people than the CCP are letting on.

[AlexRich]

22 minutes ago, zydeco said:

The head of WHO is an Ethiopian politician whose country is bought and paid for by China. This guy Xi's puppet.

He certainly sounds bought and paid for.

[Forethat]

1 minute ago, AlexRich said:

It’s a pity you didn’t explain that to the three Chinese people covered in blankets on the floor of a Wuhan hospital ... it would have made them feel reassured just before they collapsed and died.

 

i don’t believe the numbers coming out of China, this virus is highly contagious and has killed more people than the CCP are letting on.

I think your post above is despicable. It's not even worth replying to your so called arguments. Lowest I've seen on here for a long time, to be fair.

 

 

[faraday]

It's about time a Pharmaceutical company came out with yet another vaccine. Think of the profit, if worldwide vaccination was implemented.....

 

Does rather seem to be a lot of hysteria though.

 

 

[Scott]

A post violating Fair Use Policy has been removed.   Please provide a link, especially when quoting text.  

 

[petedk]

Just spoke t my girlfriend about this, to which she replied, "Thailand has it under full control. No new outbreaks for two days."

 

Why on earth have they stopped releasing official figures?

[Pravda]

Just about any day now before Thailand develops Corona virus vaccine. 

[Sticky Wicket]

- 9,171 confirmed #coronavirus cases worldwide

- 12,167 suspected cases

- 213 deaths

- 1,476 in serious/critical condition

- 150 treated and released

- all regions of #China reporting cases

- 23 territories reporting cases

[Sticky Wicket]

11 minutes ago, petedk said:

Just spoke t my girlfriend about this, to which she replied, "Thailand has it under full control. No new outbreaks for two days."

 

Why on earth have they stopped releasing official figures?

I think I read yesterday that they aren't updating the info until about 7/8th February!

[Forethat]

2 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said:

- 9,171 confirmed #coronavirus cases worldwide

- 12,167 suspected cases

- 213 deaths

- 1,476 in serious/critical condition

- 150 treated and released

- all regions of #China reporting cases

- 23 territories reporting cases

Where do you get the data from? WHO?

 

[Forethat]

Here's a handy link for those of you that find WHO a credible source of stats:

 

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports 

 

According to WHO, there are 7880 confirmed cases and 170 deaths as of Jan 30. Interestingly, there are no deaths yet outside China (likely to change).

Edited January 30, 2020 by Forethat

[car720]

1 hour ago, GanDoonToonPet said:

Source? Have you been reading the news?

 

Simple logic, and past experience, dictates that most people who are infected won't be sick enough to need hospital treatment. Therefore using the ratio of 'recovered / deaths' using hospital admissions will introduce a positive bias.

 

I've taught in China for the last 2 years & have taught in Thailand for 8 years. Due to the low herd immunity in schools I've constantly had a 'sniffle' for the last 10 years.

 

All of this hysteria is just novelty aversion. Remember HIV & toilets seats?

I think you are overlooking the spreadability of it.  It is not the disease itself nor how many are dying compared to how many are surviving, it is instead the ratio of how many will die unnecessarily because of the ease of spread. 5% of a few is just a few but 5% of many is a lot.

[Sticky Wicket]

7 minutes ago, Forethat said:

Where do you get the data from? WHO?

 

various sources on twitter. It was updated about 20 mins ago

[Forethat]

This one has GIS as well as data.

 

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1pCzvc2WdgzuW-t-SV_MJnil-29uTX07d5e2lP8-_GujTn2FaRddM7Cgs#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

[petedk]

17 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said:

I think I read yesterday that they aren't updating the info until about 7/8th February!

Yes, I read that too.

[GanDoonToonPet]

1 hour ago, Curt1591 said:

Yes; the common flu kills tens of thousands, every year, mostly the old, the very young, and others will weakened immune systems. 

Coronavirus is not related to the influenza virus but to the common cold...

[GanDoonToonPet]

12 minutes ago, car720 said:

I think you are overlooking the spreadability of it.  It is not the disease itself nor how many are dying compared to how many are surviving, it is instead the ratio of how many will die unnecessarily because of the ease of spread. 5% of a few is just a few but 5% of many is a lot.

'Spreadability??? Can you define that?