Coronavirus

Wuhan not as dangerous as reported, according to Fijian student

Varun Kapoor said misinformation about the deadly coronavirus is spreading as fast as the disease.

He said an epidemic of fake news is appearing online and people need to be cautious about what they hear and read on social media.

"It's not like a complete lockdown. I still go out, take my regular afternoon walks for an hour and come back to my dormitory. I go for regular shopping."

"There's this misconception. I think the media has painted Wuhan as zombieland - that is not actually the case," he said.

     

Coronavirus: First death confirmed in Europe

The victim was an 80-year-old man from China's Hubei province, according to French Health Minister Agnès Buzyn.

He arrived in France on 16 January and was placed in quarantine in hospital in Paris on 25 January, she said.

Only three deaths had previously been reported outside mainland China - in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan.

However, 1,523 people have died from the virus within China, mostly in Hubei where it first emerged. These include 143 deaths newly reported on Saturday by the country's national health commission.

New Caledonian resident tests positive for coronavirus

The 80-year old man and his wife had been confined to their cabin on the Diamond Princess for 11 days.

His wife told the French radio station RTL that on receiving the test result he was taken to a hospital whose address she didn't know.

She said her husband showed no symptoms of the illness, but further tests were planned to confirm the diagnosis.

She says they both took all the precautions but still her husband caught the virus.

Almost 220 people onboard the cruise ship off Yokohama have tested positive to the coronavirus.

     

Coronavirus: No change in outbreak despite China spike, WHO says

The only exception was on a cruise liner docked in Japan, where 44 new cases were reported, bringing the total there to 218.

There was also no major shift in the coronavirus's pattern of mortality or severity, according to the WHO.

Hubei recorded 242 deaths on Wednesday, the deadliest day of the outbreak.

There was also a huge increase in cases, with 14,840 people diagnosed but most of this was down to Hubei using a broader definition to diagnose people, said Mike Ryan, head of WHO's health emergencies programme.

Singapore, Hong Kong 7s postponed due to coronavirus

Both tournaments have been moved from April to October.

In a statement, World Rugby said the health and safety of players, fans and everyone working on the event is their highest priority.

"This prudent decision has been taken in order to help protect the global rugby community and the wider public and was taken based on the World Health Organisation and relevant public authority travel and health guidelines. The decision is fully supported by stakeholders, including unions and commercial partners."

Sharp increase in coronavirus deaths and cases in Hubei

There was also a huge increase in the number of cases, with 14,840 people diagnosed with the virus.

Hubei has started using a broader definition to diagnose people - which accounts for most of the rise in cases.

Until Wednesday's increases, the number of people diagnosed in Hubei - where the outbreak emerged - was stabilising.

But the new cases and deaths in the province have pushed the national death toll above 1,350 - with almost 60,000 cases in total.

Fijian evacuees from Wuhan relieved to be in New Zealand

Sylvia Nandani and Joe Racaca were among 193 people evacuated by New Zealand last week.

Ms Nandani had arrived in Wuhan from Beijing two weeks before the outbreak and said the experience had been overwhelming.

"It was really difficult to be locked in your room for a week because they had told us not to go outside," she said.

"And where I was located, the market that the virus started from was maybe a few kilometres away.

Coronavirus officially named Covid-19, says WHO

"We now have a name for the disease and it's Covid-19," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva.

It comes after the death toll from the virus passed 1000. Tens of thousands of people have been infected.

The word coronavirus refers to the group of viruses it belongs to, rather than the latest strain.

Researchers have been calling for an official name to avoid confusion and stigmatisation.

Deaths hit new high in China’s virus epicentre

But the number of new infections was down 20% from the day before.

Hubei's health commission confirmed 2,097 new cases in the province on Monday, down from 2,618.

An advanced team of medical experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) has arrived in China.

There are now more than 42,200 confirmed cases across China, the gravest public health crisis the country has faced since the Sars outbreak in 2002-3.

China's Xi visits hospital in rare appearance amid health crisis

Wearing a face mask, Mr Xi also visited a community health centre, where he had his temperature checked.

More than 900 people have been killed by the virus, the gravest public health crisis in China since Sars in 2002-3.

During his visit, Mr Xi urged "more decisive measures" to combat the virus.

The Chinese leader has kept a low profile over weeks as the outbreak has worsened. He is yet to visit Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.