Morning brief: COVID-19 update for Feb 16, 2020

As of 7am, Feb 16, 2020:

WORLD COUNT: There are 69,044 confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the world. A total of 28 countries and territories have been affected so far. The number of deaths has risen to 1,666. Across the world, a total of 11,080 are in critical condition, while 9,425 previously infected persons have recovered.

CHINA: There are 68,347 confirmed cases of infection in China. The country’s death count now stands at 1,855 people. Across China and Asia, offices have been struggling to cope with getting back to work, with so many people under quarantine and others afraid to venture out during the virus outbreak. With millions of people holed up in homes, this might be the world’s biggest work-from-home experiment. Businesses will have to rely on technology and digital sharing tools to connect and get work done. For certain sectors, this can be quite effective. With many employees not showing up at work, there is a high demand for delivery robots among retailers and other businesses in China, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. International humanitarian non-profit organization Doctors Without Borders is sending 3.5 metric tonnes (3.8 US tons) specialised medical equipment to Wuhan Jinyintan hospital in Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus. The World Health Organization-led joint mission to China will be arriving this weekend. A dozen international and WHO experts will be meeting with a similar number of Chinese experts to review data and make field visits to several Chinese provinces, all in aid of developing response and containment steps. They will be in China for as long as is needed.

Hong Kong’s public hospitals report having a “tight” supply of medical equipment, officials said in a press conference on Saturday (Feb 15). The protective gear on hand, including face masks and protective clothing, is estimated to last only until next month. Authorities are looking to purchase more from other countries. Doctors Without Borders has launched a health education project in Hong Kong which will disseminate health information to vulnerable communities about how to protect themselves from the virus. They will also send one metric tonne (1.1 US ton) of protective equipment to the Hong Kong St. John Ambulance service. Hong Kong Disneyland is lending vacant sites to the government to be used as potential quarantine facilities. No schedule or plan regarding the site has been released. There are currently 56 cases of confirmed novel coronavirus in Hong Kong.

Macao, which has a total of 10 cases, has not reported any new cases of the virus.

/TISG