Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: Virus Will Stay With Us Beyond This Year, Warns Top US Doctor

Vietnam Seeks Export Relief from India | Vietnam is seeking to boost its farm produce exports to India to alleviate the impact of the coronavirus on the Southeast Asian country's trade with China, its largest trading partner, reported Reuters. Vietnam has asked India to reduce trade barriers on its exports, such as black pepper and cashew nuts, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said today.

US CDC Director Says Virus Will Last Beyond 2020 | The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Robert Redfield said that the US was in 'aggressive containment mode', stated a CNN report. "We don't know a lot about this virus," he told CNN. "This virus is probably with us beyond this season, beyond this year, and I think eventually the virus will find a foothold and we will get community-based transmission." Redfield said that there was no known cure for coronavirus.

Oil Prices Steady, Set to Rise | Oil prices were steady on Friday, but set for their first weekly gain in six weeks on the assumption that major producers will implement deeper output cuts to offset slowing demand in China caused by the coronavirus epidemic, reported Reuters.

Manchester United's Member Trains Alone Due to Virus Fears | After returning from China, Manchester United's newest signing Odion Ighalo is training away from the first team due to novel coronavirus concerns, reported CNN.

Life in an Epidemic | A couple wearing masks embraces in an MTR train on Valentine's Day in Hong Kong, China. (Reuters/Tyrone Siu)

New Method of Diagnosis | Chinese health officials have implemented a new screening process for the new Covid-19 coronavirus, reported Reuters. The first step is to subject the patients to a pulmonary examination by CT scan. If there are signs of pneumonia, a specific Covid-19 test is performed to confirm or rule out the infection.

New Diagnosis Sheds Light on Actual Numbers | The confirmed cases of coronavirus on Thursday jumped up by almost 15,000. This does not reflect a sudden rise in new infections. Instead, the change has been brought about by a change in how China counts patients. Since it could not diagnose the rapidly enough via lab rests, it began to identify cases in other ways, like CT scans, stated a piece by Bloomberg. 

Chinese Florists Suffer Valentine's Day Hit | Chinese news agency Global Times reported a 'sombre' Valentine's Day as small-time florists across the country suffered business losses on a day that is usually a money-bringer. A shop owner, Li Youkang, reported sales down to 10 per cent this year. "We received around 50 orders this year, all online orders. We have had 500 orders in past years," he said. "Everybody wants to stay at home. Why would anyone buy flowers if their partners are also confined at home?" he added.

Mass roundup expanded in China | China has now expanded its mass roundup of infected people beyond Wuhan, to include other cities like Hubei, stated the state-run CCTV broadcasted, reported the NY Times.

Valentine's Day Bouquets With Masks Being Sold | A bouquet of roses and protective face masks are sold in a flower market following confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, in Manila, Philippines. (Reuters/Eloisa Lopez)

Mask Production in China Reaches 94% | China's mask production capacity utilization rate reached 94% on Tuesday, even as more enterprises that had suspended operations due to novel coronavirus outbreak resumed production, stated stated-run news agency People's Daily of China. 

Life in an Epidemic | A florist wears a face mask and gloves while ensembling a bouquet at a flowers shop in a mall, in Beijing, China. (Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins)

Virus May not be Passed to Baby in Late Pregnancy | According to state-run media agency People's Daily of China, a small observational study by Chinese scientists has concluded that coronavirus may not be passed to the baby from her mother in the later stages of the pregnancy.

Chicken Freezer Space Runs-out in China | Ships carrying refrigerated cargo containers of chicken from the United States to China are being diverted to ports in Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a U.S. poultry export trade group, Reuters reported. “Chinese ports have run out of space for refrigerated containers, Jim Sumner, president of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, said.

Mobile-users Now Text Authorities Their Travel Details | One of the three state-run telecom firms in China has introduced a feature for subcribers to send text messages to a hotline that generates a list of provinces they have recently visited, New York Times reported. This helps authorities to know where the new citizens have travelled. 

Life in an Epidemic | A woman wearing a mask is seen at a subway station in Shanghai, China. (Reuters/ Aly Song)

Thai Students Send Hearts to China on Valentines Day | Thai students form a heart shape on Valentine's Day to show their support for China on their fight against coronavirus in a school in Ayutthaya, outside Bangkok, Thailand. (Reuters/Chalinee Thirasupa)

Asian Shares Rise | Asian shares edged up on Friday, on course to post the second straight week of gains, helped by hopes governments will make provisions to soften the impact on their economies from the coronavirus epidemic. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan ticked up 0.3%, led by gains in Hong Kong and South Korea. On the week, the pan-regional index was up 1.94%, reported Reuters.

Ship Welcomed in Cambodia | Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen welcomes passengers of MS Westerdam, a cruise ship that spent two weeks at sea after being turned away by five countries over fears that someone aboard might have the coronavirus, as it docks in Sihanoukvil. (Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun)

Honda to Restart Wuhan Plant | Honda Motor Co said Friday that it now plans to restart operations at its vehicle plant in Wuhan, China on February 21, a week later than initially planned. Japan's third-largest automaker plans to resume output from the factory from the week of February 24.

Fake News Worsens Outbreak | The rise of "fake news" - including misinformation and inaccurate advice on social media - could make disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic currently spreading in China worse, according to research published on Friday. "Misinformation means that bad advice can circulate very quickly, and it can change human behaviour to take greater risks," said Paul Hunter, a UEA professor of medicine who co-led the study, Reuters reported.

Japan Vows to Step-up Efforts | Japan on Friday vowed to step up testing and containment efforts for the coronavirus after suffering its first death and the confirmation of new cases, including a doctor and taxi driver. Japan's health ministry said Thursday that a woman in her 80s living in Kanagawa prefecture, just to the west of Tokyo, had died. She was transferred between hospitals as her condition worsened and was only confirmed to have the coronavirus after her death, Reuters reported.

Sydney Passenger Causes Scare | Australian health officials tested a passenger onboard a cruise ship docked in Sydney harbour for a "respiratory illness" on Friday, causing passengers to fret about the potential of another shipboard outbreak of the coronavirus. The New South Wales state government said health officials boarded the Norwegian Jewel shortly after it docked in Sydney on Friday from a tour around New Zealand to undertake a routine assessment of passengers arriving from overseas, Reuters reported. Image: (Reuters/Gary Hershorn)

Virus Could Hit Indian Drug Industry | Drug manufacturers in India are worried as the prolonged shutdown in China due to novel coronavirus outbreak may affect import of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) from the neighbouring country. The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) last week constituted a high-level panel to assess its impact of the outbreak of the deadly virus in China on the supply of APIs in India.

Europe Worried About Supplies | European health ministers expressed concern about stocks of medicine and medical supplies Thursday and urged EU member states to work together against the new coronavirus outbreak.  A statement urged "enhanced coordination between Member States to ensure effectiveness of all measures, including, if necessary, measures regarding travel, while safeguarding free movement within the EU."

Mobile World Congress Cancelled | The world's biggest telecom assembly MWC 2020 has been cancelled as telecom companies one after the other pulled out of the annual conference following the outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus in China. The Mobile World Congress (MWC) is held every year in Barcelona and top Indian industry leaders, as well as top government officials and ministers, have been attending the event. Read more here. Image: (Reuters/ Nacho Doce)

Kerala Student Gets Discharged | A student from Kerala who was studying at Wuhan University and had tested positive for the novel coronavirus after being evacuated by India, was discharged from the isolation ward of Alappuzha Medical college hospital, health department sources said. He was the country's second coronavius patient and was let-go after two consecutive samples sent for testing at the National Institute of Virology, Pune turned out negative, PTI reported.

Death Toll Nears 1,500 | Death toll in China's coronavirus epidemic has gone up to 1,483 with Hubei province reporting 116 new fatalities, the country's health officials said on Friday. The hard-hit province reported 4,823 new confirmed cases on Thursday, the provincial health commission said. Read more here.