Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE: WHO Warns Overseas Virus Spread May be 'Tip of Iceberg'; 908 Dead in China

Landmarks in many Chinese cities lit up to show solidarity with Wuhan on Saturday, on the traditional Lantern Festival. In north China's Tianjin Municipality, many buildings were illuminated with slogans to cheer on the city of Wuhan. In Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Tianfu Panda Tower was illuminated with slogans to support Wuhan. China's highest TV tower, the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, lit up in solidarity with Wuhan, stated a Reuters report.

People wear masks to protect themselves against new coronavirus at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea. (Reuters/Heo Ran)

China Introduces Virus Detection App | China has now introduced a mobile app "close contact detector" which will enable people to check whether they are at the risk of catching the novel coronavirus, according to a report by the Global Times. Users can scan a QR code via mobile apps like Alipay, WeChat or QQ to make an inquiry. After registering with a phone number, users can enter their name and ID number to know whether they were in close contact with someone infected. 

With analysts warning that the virus could cut into the country's already slowing economy, China's central bank has urged financial institutions to continue stepping up support for small and micro enterprises. But this has not stopped business owners from fretting over an uncertain future.

At the Shijihualian Supermarket in Heishanzhai village, boxes of Lunar New Year goods, including food items such as persimmons, remain stacked and unsold. "They are bought as gifts, but people have not been visiting their relatives this year," said its shopkeeper surnamed Yang "With no relatives to host this year, it will take time for them to deplete their supplies."

Many bus and train services have been suspended across the country, and central Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, has effectively been locked down. Supermarkets are struggling to sell their food as families have enough after stocking up for holiday gatherings that have not been held -- in line with officials' advice.

Across Beijing's rural outskirts, guesthouses, restaurants and tourist attractions have been deserted for almost two weeks. The Great Wall and Ming dynasty tombs remain closed and people are urged to stay home -- with many working remotely even after the Spring Festival break ended.

A CNN report stated that experts from the New South Wales Health Pathology lab in Australia have successfully grown the live coronavirus from NSW patients -- rather than synthetic specimens -- said the health ministry. “Health experts around the world will be able to contain the spread of novel coronavirus among the population faster, following a breakthrough by NSW Health researchers,” the statement said.

6 More Coronavirus Cases on Japanese Cruise Ship | 6 more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed aboard the quarantined ship 'Diamond Princess'docked in Yokohama, said the ship's captain, according to a CNN report. The total number of confirmed cases on the ship now stand at 136. 

Across China, schools in provinces and regions such as Guangdong, Anhui, Zhejiang, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, Jiangxi, and Inner Mongolia, as well as Shanghai and Chongqing will be shut through the end of February, stated a Reuters report. 

The Li Ka-Shing Foundation, a charitable organisation founded by the Hong Kong billionaire, has donated HK$100 million ($12.9 million) to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the new coronavirus that has killed more than 900 people, stated a Reuters report.

Harsh Vardhan Says Government is Taking Strong Steps on Coronavirus | Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan said in the Lok Sabha today that India was well prepared and sufficiently equipped to deal with the coronavirus epidemic. "All necessary precautions are being taken....we are keeping a close tab on the situation." The minister said that video calls with other states were being conducted on the issue. "To prevent further spread, all suspected cases need to be quarantined. The three positive cases from Kerala, who had travel history from China, are doing stable now. The government is taking strong steps," he said. The situation is being monitored everyday through a group of ministers, he said.

Tesla's Shanghai factory will be resuming production on Monday, even as the coronavirus epidemic claims more than 900 lives in China.

#Tesla #Shanghai factory is scheduled to resume production on Mon amid the #coronavirus outbreak. The plant has implemented virus prevention measures including tightened security checks and the use of shuttle buses where workers sit separately: @elonmusk report (Photos: jiemian) pic.twitter.com/O9hO3gqZgW

— The Business Source (@GlobalTimesBiz) February 10, 2020

A citizen journalist went missing in Wuhan last week. Chen Quishi, a human rights advocate had been reporting on the coronavirus outbreak, stated a Guardian report. The report stated that Chen, who had gone to visit a hospital on Thursday has been unreachable from friends and family since Thursday evening. Chen's mother says he has been forcibly quarantined. (Image: Youtube)

Officers of the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) wearing masks adjust a sheet of blue canvas covering above the boarding platform of the cruise ship Diamond Princess, as they prepare for the transfer of passengers newly tested positive for coronavirus from the vessel, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama. (Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon)

The Mobile World Congress being held in Barcelona this month, has announced that travellers from Hubei province will not be admitted, stated a report by the Guardian. It is considered to be the largest exhibition for the mobile phone industry. Travellers who have been in China will need to demonstrate proof  that they have been outside of China 14 days prior to the event through a passport stamp or health certificate, the report further stated.
 

A sightseeing boat moves past the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where more than a 100 passengers have been tested positive for coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama.(Reuters/ Kim Kyung-Hoon)

60 More Cases Confirmed on Japan Ship Diamond Princess | The total confirmed coronavirus cases have now reached 130 on the quarantined Japan cruise ship 'Diamond Princess', after 60 more cases were confirmed, according to American broadcaster TBS TV. The Guardian reported that NHK Japan had also said the same, quoting the health ministry.

Japan Seeks to Contain Economic Impact of Coronavirus | Japan on Saturday moved to contain the economic impact of a coronavirus outbreak originating in China as strict new measures aimed at limiting the spread of the virus, including targeting foreign visitors, came into effect. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a Saturday meeting of a government task force coordinating Japan's response to the virus to come up with steps aimed at easing the impact of the outbreak on Japan's economy. Abe has made tourism a key part of his economic policy, with a large proportion of foreign visitors from China, and major Japanese companies have a number of factories in China.

Pakistan to Soon Decide on Nationals' Evacuation from China | Amid growing pressure to bring back its nationals, mostly students, from coronavirus-hit Hubei province, the Pakistan government has said it is closely monitoring the situation in China and will soon take a decision on their evacuation. Pakistan came under criticism after it said that Pakistani students should not be evacuated from Wuhan as medical facilities back home do not meet the standards required to treat a patient diagnosed with coronavirus.

Chinese tabloid Global Times has published footage of the daily disinfections that have been taking place in Wuhan, since Sunday. 

#Wuhan has started centralized disinfection twice daily since Feb 9 to minimize risk of novel #coronavirus pneumonia contamination. Disinfection is carried out at 10 am & 4 pm everyday in hospital vicinities, centralized isolation points, community areas, etc. #NCP pic.twitter.com/eH0i8jzlG0

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) February 10, 2020

A worker wearing a mask polishes parts for computed tomography (CT) scanners at a factory in Qingdao, Shandong province, China. The scanner's imaging features aid in the early detection and diagnosis of coronavirus. (Reuters)

British Infected With Coronavirus at French Alps | The latest patients of coronavirus outside China include five British nationals staying in the same chalet at a ski village in Haute-Savoie in the Alps, French health officials said. The five, including a child, had been lodged in the same chalet with a British man believed to have contracted the virus in Singapore. They were not in a serious condition, the officials said. The SARS-like virus has now killed over 900 people in China.

WHO Warns Overseas Coronavirus Spread May be 'Tip of the Iceberg' | The head of WHO said today there have been "concerning instances" of coronavirus among people with no travel history to China, warning that it could be the "tip of the iceberg", as he urged all countries to prepare for the possible arrival of the novel virus that has killed over 900 people.
   

There’ve been some concerning instances of onward #2019nCoV spread from people with no travel history to 🇨🇳. The detection of a small number of cases may indicate more widespread transmission in other countries; in short, we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg.

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 9, 2020

Sensex, Nifty Fall as Coronavirus Toll Weighs on Metals | Losses in metal shares dragged Indian markets lower today, as rising death toll in China raised alarm bells about the severity of the coronavirus outbreak and its economic impact. The broader NSE Nifty 50 index fell 0.38% to 12,053.15 by 0355 GMT, while the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex was 0.38% lower at 40,979.50. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.7% as the death toll touched 908 in China's central Hubei province as of Sunday, surpassing the SARS epidemic.

The Journal of the American Medical Association has published a report on the clinical characteristics of 138 coronavirus patients in Wuhan, according to a report by the Guardian. Common symptoms among the 138 people covered in the report included fever (99%), fatigue (70%), dry cough (60%). The less common symptoms were headache, dizziness, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting.

New York City Could Spend $1 Million a Day on Coronavirus | According to New York Senator Chuck Schumer, New York City had spent more than $1 million in their coronavirus response and “could spend millions of local dollars more over the next 60 days to help tackle the virus." "New York City has already spent more than a million dollars on public health activities of national importance to tackle the coronavirus, and could, if the need develops, be looking at a one-million-dollar-a-day tab," Schumer said.

Gold prices held steady on Monday, as rising concerns over the severity of the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on the global markets offset slight pressure from positive economic data from China and the United States. Spot gold was little changed at $1,569.05 per ounce by 0313 GMT. U.S. gold futures were flat at $1,572.70, stated a Reuters report.

The coronavirus outbreak could very negatively impact automobile plants. The Chinese auto parts industry is big, a major supplier of parts to auto plants around the world, shipping nearly $35 billion of parts in 2018, according to United Nations data. 

Asian shares diminished early losses on Monday as Chinese authorities lifted some coronavirus-related restrictions on work and travel, helping businesses resume work though overall sentiment was still jittery as the death toll from the epidemic climbed. "Markets have turned around a bit reflecting the news that Chinese businesses were returning to work," said James McGlew, analyst at stockbroker Argonaut. "Overall, I think, there is still a concern out there that the impact from the coronavirus hasn't been fully quantified," he added.