There are worldwide concerns over the coronavirus outbreak in China as it spreads to other countries, including Australia.
Reuters – Coronavirus contagion rate makes it hard to control: studies
Each person infected with coronavirus is passing the disease on to between two and three other people on average at current transmission rates, according to two separate scientific analyses of the epidemic.
Whether the outbreak will continue to spread at this rate depends on the effectiveness of control measures, the scientists who conducted the studies said. But to be able to contain the epidemic and turn the tide of infections, control measures would have to halt transmission in at least 60% of cases.
The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak jumped to 41 on Saturday, with more than 1,400 people infected worldwide – the vast majority in China.
Reuters – Hong Kong bans entry of visitors from China virus province
Residents of China’s Hubei province, where the new coronavirus outbreak was first reported, will be banned from entering Hong Kong from Monday as China tries to halt the rapid spread of the outbreak.
Health authorities around the world are racing to prevent a pandemic after more than 2,000 people were infected in China and 56 have died.
A handful of cases of infection have been reported in other countries, including Thailand, Australia, the United States, France and Canada. No fatalities have been recorded outside China.
The newly identified coronavirus has created alarm because much about it is still unknown, such as how dangerous it is and how easily it spreads between people. It can cause pneumonia, which has been deadly in some cases.
The virus, believed to have originated late last year in a seafood market in Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife, has spread to cities including Beijing and Shanghai.
The World Health Organization this week stopped short of calling the outbreak a global health emergency, but some health experts question whether China can contain the epidemic.
Reuters – Latest on the coronavirus spreading in China and beyond
Here is what we know so far:
** As of midnight in Beijing (1600 GMT) on Jan. 25, the death toll in China had risen to 56, authorities reported. Some 1,975 people in China had been infected with the virus.
** The coronavirus transmission ability is getting stronger and infections could continue to rise, China’s National Health Commission said.
** China temporarily bans wildlife trade nationwide in markets, supermarkets, restaurants, and e-commerce platforms, authorities said.
** The previously unknown coronavirus strain is believed to have emerged late last year from illegally traded wildlife at an animal market in Wuhan.
** Thailand has reported eight infection cases; Taiwan, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia have reported four; the United States, France, Japan three; Vietnam and South Korea two apiece and Canada and Nepal one.
** No reported fatalities outside China
** The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that while the outbreak was an emergency for China, it was not yet a global health emergency.
** Symptoms include fever, cough and difficulty breathing.
** China says the virus is mutating and can be transmitted through human contact.
** Two separate scientific analyses of the epidemic say each person infected is passing the disease on to between two and three other people.
** Those most affected are older people and those with underlying health conditions.
** Three research teams have begun work on developing potential vaccines, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations said. Scientists hope to be testing the first possible vaccines in three months’ time.
** Beijing will delay reopening the city’s kindergartens, schools and universities, state-owned China National Radio (CNR) said on its official Weibo page.
** China may “appropriately” extend the Lunar New Year holiday, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing a working group meeting hosted by China’s premier Li Keqiang.
** Taiwan further tightens restrictions on visitors from China, suspending entry for many apart from business travellers and a few other exceptions.
** Hong Kong’s popular amusement parks Disneyland and Ocean Park are closed from Jan. 26, state media CCTV reported.
** Wuhan, a city of 11 million, is under severe travel restrictions, with urban transport shut and outgoing flights suspended.
** Tourist access to Beijing’s Forbidden City closed and large gatherings cancelled, including two Lunar New Year temple fairs, and closed part of the Great Wall.
** Hong Kong has declared an emergency and will extend school holiday closures until Feb. 17. The city also cancelled all official Lunar New Year celebrations and official visits to mainland China.
** Airports around the world have stepped up screening.
** Some experts believe the virus is not as dangerous as the 2002-03 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that killed nearly 800 people, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which has killed more than 700 people since 2012.
RNZ – Government alert to coronavirus but not alarmed, says Minister
Health staff will meet flights arriving in New Zealand from China tomorrow, looking for signs of the Wuhan strain of coronavirus, after four confirmed cases in Australia.
Health Minister David Clark announced this afternoon that public health staff will be on the ground in Auckland and Christchurch International Airports to take the temperature of incoming passengers who felt unwell.
David Clark said he had been advised the risk of an outbreak in New Zealand remained low and said the government was active and alert, but not alarmed.
“At this stage we have said that we are very alert to any potential risks. The evidence is that so far there have been no cases of communication person to person outside of China but this is a rapidly developing situation and that’s why we’re taking such a cautious and prepared approach.”
He said anyone displaying symptoms will be appropriately contained and any contact with others will be traced.
Dr Clark said the checks were a precaution, but public health staff would remain at the airports for the foreseeable future.
He is urging people to reconsider any travel plans to China and said unnecessary travel to areas of infection should be avoided.
Dr Clark will take a paper to cabinet on Tuesday, to make the novel coronavirus a notifiable disease.
The Ministry of Health said New Zealand laboratories should be ready to test for the novel coronavirus later in the week.
Stuff – What does the coronavirus epidemic mean for New Zealand?
This epidemic is already having an impact on New Zealand that is likely to grow over time. There is grief and worry for those at the centre of the epidemic in China.
There is the risk of imported and sustained disease in this country. And also the economic impact that is already being manifested in financial markets and may impact on tourist flows to New Zealand.
Of these concerns, the threat of importing disease to New Zealand is probably receiving most attention, as it is one risk that we have the ability to manage. It is stating the obvious to say that we live in a highly connected world with most countries just one or two flights away from China.
If spread continues to occur we are likely to see imported coronavirus cases in New Zealand, just as such cases are being detected in Australia and a growing number of other countries.
The future course of this epidemic is unpredictable. New Zealand is fortunate in having a number of advantages in combating this threat.
Another protective factor for New Zealand is timing. Respiratory viruses of all sorts are highly seasonal and conditions in summer (eg people spending less time indoors) reduce their transmission.
New Zealand has an established pandemic plan and experience with rolling this out during the last influenza pandemic in 2009.
One limitation is that the ‘keep it out’ component of our pandemic plan remains under-developed. Our very small national and regional public health capacity could be easily swamped if a coronavirus epidemic became established here.
Another major challenge for New Zealand is to ensure it does not export this coronavirus to Pacific Islands, where it could be devastating. Now is the time to be thinking about how to minimise this risk.
One good thing in our modern world is this information and scrutiny of what is happening gets around very quickly, with protections and precautions able to be put in place to contain the spread.
But with a lot of rapid world wide travel something like this could be difficult to contain.
And the coronavirus is having an impact here before any known cases in New Zealand.
RNZ – Coronavirus will have impact on Queenstown tourism, says mayor
The deadly coronavirus outbreak has come at the worst possible time for tourism operators in the middle of summer and the Chinese New Year, Queenstown’s mayor says.
Chinese tourists accounted for more than $220 million of spending in the Queenstown Lakes District in the year to October.
Tourism operators are already reporting cancellations as China suspends overseas and domestic group tours as the outbreak worsens.
Lakes Mayor Jim Boult said it was too early to know what effect the outbreak would have on tourism in the area but it would be significant.
“The timing couldn’t be worse because this is probably the biggest week of the industry with Chinese New Year. I guess it’s not a complete disaster because a number of them are already here but the issue will have a significant effect on the tourism industry,” he said.
New Zealand Chinese Travel and Tourism Association chair Simon Cheung said he woke this morning to find tours from China had already been cancelled and other operators would be in the same boat.
Impact on travel and tourism and business is an unfortunate side effect, but limiting the spread is more important – if there was an outbreak of coronavirus in Queenstown or anywhere in New Zealand the impact would be far greater.
Stuff – China arrivals to be checked
Public health staff will begin meeting flights from China from Monday to look for signs of coronavirus.
