The deadly coronavirus which has been a bane recently in the society and the SARS outbreak of 2003 have been discovered to have had two things in common: Both are from the coronavirus family, and both were passed from animals to humans in a wet market.
What is coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause respiratory illnesses such as the common cold, according to centre for disease control and prevention (CDC). Most people get infected with coronaviruses at one point in their lives, but symptoms are typically mild to moderate. In some cases, the viruses can cause lower-respiratory tract illnesses such as pneumonia and bronchitis.
These viruses are common amongst animals worldwide, but only a handful of them are known to affect humans. Rarely, coronaviruses can evolve and spread from animals to humans. This is what happened with the coronaviruses known as the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-Cov), both of which are known to cause more severe symptoms.
How is The virus is spread?
Coronaviruses are zoonotic diseases, meaning they spread to people from animals. Because wet markets put people and live and dead animals dogs, chickens, pigs, snakes, civets, and more in close contact, it can be easy for a virus to make an inter-species jump.
“Poorly regulated, live-animal markets mixed with illegal wildlife trade offer a unique opportunity for viruses to spill over from wildlife hosts into the human population,” the Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement on Thursday.
In the case of SARS, and probably this coronavirus outbreak too, bats were the original hosts. They then infected other animals via their poop or saliva, and the unwitting intermediaries transmitted the virus to humans.
“Bats and birds are considered reservoir species for viruses with pandemic potential,” Bart Haagmans, a virologist at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, told Business Insider.
In the last 45 years, at least three other pandemics (besides SARS) have been traced back to bats. The creatures were the original source of Ebola, which has killed 13,500 people in multiple outbreaks since 1976; Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) which can be found in 28 countries; and the Nipah virus, which has a 78% fatality rate.
Not all coronaviruses are deadly the ones endemic to humans, like the common cold, are often considered inconsequential. The coronaviruses that pose a pandemic risk, however, are those that hang out in animals.
“Because these viruses have not been circulating in humans before, specific immunity to these viruses is absent in humans,” Haagmans said.
The coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan has so far killed 25 people and infected more than 830. Experts haven’t yet confirmed the animal species that enabled it to spread to people, but they have some guesses. Scientists in China compared the genetic code of the Wuhan coronavirus to other coronaviruses and found it to be most similar two bats coronavirus samples.
“There’s an indication that it’s a bat virus,” Vincent Munster, a scientist at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, told Business Insider.
According to a group of scientists who edit the Journal of Medical Virology, the intermediary species in this case could be the Chinese cobra.
That’s because further genetic analysis showed that the genetic building blocks of the Wuhan coronavirus closely resemble that of snakes. So the researchers think a population of bats could have infected snakes, which passed the virus to humans as they were being sold at the Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market in Wuhan.
But the only way to be sure about where the virus came from is to take DNA samples from animals sold at that market and from wild snakes and bats in the area.
Why do bats pose such a threat?
Bats harbor a significantly higher proportion of zoonotic viruses than other mammals, according to a study carried out in 2017 . Experts think that’s because bats can fly across large geographical ranges, transporting diseases as they go. That makes them an ideal host.
Bats pass along viruses in their poop: If they drop feces onto a piece of fruit that a different animal then eats, the creature can become a carrier.
“We know a fair amount of viruses on the World Health Organization’s Blueprint list of priority diseases have either a direct or indirect link with bats,” Munster said. ( The list includes SARS and MERS.)
In March 2019 , a study even predicted that bats could be the source of a new coronavirus outbreak in China.
“It is highly likely that future SARS– or MERS-like coronavirus outbreaks will originate from bats, and there is an increased probability that this will occur in China,” the researchers wrote.
That’s because the majority of coronaviruses both those that circulate in humans and in animals can be found in China. Plus, the study authors said, “most of the bat hosts of these CoVs [coronaviruses] live near humans in China, potentially transmitting viruses to humans and livestock.”
The bat population from which SARS originated, for example, lived in a cave just over 1 kilometer away from the nearest village.
Similarly, a study conducted in 2017 warned that “the risk of spillover into people and emergence of a disease similar to SARS is possible.” The authors identified at least 300 separate strains of coronaviruses still circulating in bats.
How SARS, MERS, and Ebola jumped from bats to people
Here are five viruses that likely came from bats, and how the outbreaks compare.
Researchers traced SARS to a population of horseshoe bats in China’s Yunnan province. Humans caught it from weasel-like mammals called masked palm civets at a wet market in Guangdong.
Between 2002 and 2003, SARS killed 774 people across 29 countries and infected more than 8,000. Patients experienced fevers, headaches, and a type of deadly pneumonia that could cause respiratory failure.
MERS, similarly, passed from bats to dromedary camels in the Middle East. That coronavirus circulated in the camel population undetected for decades before jumping to humans in 2012. So far, 858 people have died in 28 countries from the illness, which comes with fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
In southeast Asia, meanwhile, fruit bats were the original hosts of the deadly Nipah virus, which emerged in Malaysia in 1998, then again in India in 2001. The bats passed it to farmed pigs, which gave it to people. Patients experienced headaches and vomiting; many slipped into a coma and died.
Fruit bats in Africa have played a major role in Ebola outbreaks since 1976. The worst Ebola outbreak in history, however, came from a population of long-fingered bats. More than 11,000 people were killed between 2013 and 2016.
How to prevent zoonotic diseases from spilling over into people
At wet markets, the close proximity of shoppers to stall vendors and live and dead animals creates a prime breeding ground for zoonotic diseases.
On Wednesday, authorities in Wuhan banned the trade of live animals at these markets. Officials closed the seafood market where the coronavirus outbreak is thought to have started on January 1.
Experts support this type of intervention to help prevent the spread of viruses.
“Governments must recognize the global public-health threats of zoonotic diseases,” Christian Walzer, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s health program, said in a statement. “It is time to close live-animal markets that trade in wildlife, strengthen efforts to combat trafficking of wild animals, and work to change dangerous wildlife-consumption behaviors, especially in cities.”
But according to Eric Toner, a senior scientist at Johns Hopkins University, more animal-to-human disease outbreaks are likely to arise, even without wet markets.
“I thought for a long time that the most likely virus that might cause a new pandemic would be a coronavirus,” Toner told Business Insider. “We’re in an age of epidemics because of globalization, because of encroachment on wild environments.”
The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak isn’t considered a pandemic, however. The World Health Organization has so far not declared it a global public-health emergency, since China has quarantined Wuhan and other nearby cities to stop the virus’ spread.
Which countries have been affected by the virus so far?
China – Confirmed cases in Hubei province surge
As of 14 February, a total of 63,928 confirmed cases have been reported in the country. The highest number of confirmed cases continue to be reported from the Hubei province, where the virus originated. The province reported 14,840 new confirmed cases on a single day, on 12 February. The number of coronavirus deaths and cured cases is also the highest in the province at 1,318 and 3,900, respectively.
The spike in coronavirus numbers in Hubei occurred after healthcare workers began using a new methodology of CT scans for faster diagnosis of the disease. Nucleic acid tests were used earlier to evaluate suspected cases. China has started reporting cases confirmed using the new methodology under the clinically diagnosed category. Approximately 13,332 of the new cases are classified under this category. The new method of diagnosis is currently being used only in Hubei province.
China reported the first confirmed case of the coronavirus infection originating in Wuhan in December 2019. The special administrative regions of Macau and Hong Kong reported the first confirmed cases on 22 January and 23 January, respectively. As of 14 February, ten confirmed cases have been reported in Macau. Hong Kong reported 56 confirmed cases including one death. The latest cases including a 43-year-old man, a 67-year-old woman and her 37-year-old son had contact with previously confirmed cases.
The recent cases reported in Hong Kong appeared to have spread through open vent pipes within a residential building named Hong Mei House. Two confirmed cases were reported from among 100 residents living in 30 apartments in the building. The remaining residents have been shifted to quarantine centres. Health authorities decided to perform a thorough cleaning and disinfection in the building.
Japan
Japan was the second country to report a coronavirus infection outside China in a man who travelled to Wuhan. The first Covid-19 case was reported on 16 January 2020, while a total of 248 confirmed cases (including one cured case) have been reported by 14 February.
First coronavirus death in Japan was reported on 13 February. The death was of a woman in her 80s in Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo.
Increasing cases are being reported from a group of tourists aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been quarantined off Yokohama. A total of 3,711 passengers and crew are on board the cruise ship, out of who 218 tested positive.
According to WorldPop data, Japan receives the second-highest number of travellers from the high-risk Chinese cities affected by the COVID-19.
Russia
Two cases of the novel coronavirus were confirmed in Russia on 31 January in Chinese citizens, in Zabaikalsky and Tyumen regions.
Russia’s first coronavirus suspect was reported on 30 January, according to Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency. The case was of a Russian citizen who returned from Moscow and found to have symptoms associated with the infection. To prevent spread, Russia has already closed its border with China and restricted rail services to the affected Chinese regions.
Sweden
The Swedish Public Health Authority has confirmed the first coronavirus case in Jonkoping on 31 January.
The infected is a woman who arrived to Sweden from Wuhan on 24 January, but didn’t have associated symptoms at that time.
She is currently isolated at the Ryhov county hospital.
Malaysia
The Malaysian Ministry of Health announced on 13 February that the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in the country increased to 19. A total of 13 cases out of the 19 are Chinese citizens while the remaining are American citizens . The latest case is a 39-year-old Chinese citizen. The 14th case reported in Malaysia was first human to human transmission to have occurred in the country.
The first case in the country was reported on 25 January 2020. A 40-year-old man from Wuhan who was travelling to Johor with a group 17 Chinese nationals was one of the first cases reported.
Three new cases of the infection were reported on 29 January 2020. These cases included a close contact case who is the daughter-in-law of the one first patient who tested positive for the infection. The other two cases were of a four-year-old girl and a 52-year old man.
Vietnam
The total number of confirmed cases (including one cured case) of coronavirus infection increased to 16 in Vietnam on 14 February. The confirmed cases include two Chinese citizens (recovered and discharged), six Vietnamese citizens from Wuhan (four recovered and discharged), six Vietnamese citizens (one recovered and discharged) and one America citizen who transited through China. The 15th case is reported to be of a three-month-old baby girl.
The latest cases were in close contact with previously infected patients. The 16th case is a 50-year-old male who is the father of a previously confirmed case in the Son Loi commune in Vinh Phuc province. The Vietnam government has placed the Son Loi commune under lockdown, as the number of confirmed cases reported in the commune increased. Residents are not allowed to leave the commune for a period of 20 days to prevent the spread of the disease. This is the first such lockdown issued outside of China.
The government is also implementing various steps to control the spread of the disease including postponing the reopening of schools until February 23. Further, a field hospital with 300 beds has been prepared in Vinh Phuc province to quarantine and treating COVID-19 patients. A quarantine area with 200 beds has also been set up in Vinh Yen city.
Vietnam joined the list of coronavirus countries when the first confirmed case was reported on 23 January 2020 in a Chinese national who returned from Wuhan. His son later contracted the infection, but is reported to have been cured although the father is still on oxygen support due to a lung injury. The Vietnam cases confirmed that the 2019-nCoV can spread from person to person.
Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is planning to stop the flow of tourists from China in order to contain the spread of the virus.
Finland
Finland confirmed its first case of the coronavirus infection on 29 January 2020. The patient is a 32-year old female Chinese tourist from Wuhan. She is currently being treated at the Lapland Central Hospital in northern Finland. Another 15 persons may have been exposed to the infection, according to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.
Sri Lanka
One confirmed case of coronavirus infection has been reported in Sri Lanka on 27 January 2020. The patient, a 40-year-old Chinese woman, tested positive for the virus. Sri Lanka has since taken preventive measures to contain the spread of the virus including suspension of granting of on-arrival visa for Chinese travellers. The country has emerged as a major tourist destination for Chinese nationals in the recent past and also has several Chinese workers employed in various infrastructure projects.
Sri Lanka is also in the process of evacuating students studying in China, following the outbreak. More than 200 students from the country are estimated to be studying in China. All arriving students will be placed under quarantine.
Singapore
A total of 58 confirmed cases (including 15 cured cases) have been reported by the Ministry of Health in Singapore, as of 14 February. Eight new cases were confirmed by the government including three Singaporean citizens that are linked to a cluster at the Grace Assembly of God church located on Tanglin Road. The senior pastor at the church is among the confirmed cases. Health authorities are currently tracing persons who may have come in contact with the latest cases.
A two-year-old female Singapore citizen, who was evacuated from Wuhan on 30 January, is also one of the confirmed cases. A total of 711 suspected cases have tested negative for the virus. Test results from a total of 82 suspected cases are currently pending.
The first confirmed case of the disease was reported on 23 January 2020 in a 53-year-old female Chinese national from Wuhan. The initial cases were related to a 56-year-old male from China who arrived in Singapore with his family. Another case was of a 35-year-old male also from Wuhan, China, who arrived with friends and family.
Cambodia
Cambodia reported the first case of the coronavirus infection on 27 January 2020. The patient is a 60-year-old man from Wuhan who travelled to Cambodia’s Preah Sihanouk province. He arrived in the country along with three family members who have tested negative for the virus. The patient is reported to be in a stable condition.
Cambodian aviation authorities have cancelled all flights between the country and Wuhan City to contain the spread of the virus.
Nepal
The first coronavirus infection case was confirmed by Nepal’s Ministry of Health and Population on 25 January 2020 in a male student studying in China. Two more suspected cases have been reported in a man and woman who are currently being tested for the virus. Both the patients have been placed under isolation at the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Kathmandu.
A total of three confirmed cases have been reported in India. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare of India confirmed the first case of coronavirus on 30 January 2020, followed by the second on 02 February. The first confirmed case was of a student who arrived in Kerala from Wuhan and tested positive for the virus. The person is currently being monitored and is said to be in a stable condition.
The highest number of coronavirus suspected cases are in Kerala, while suspects have also been reported in other states including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Maharastra, Telangana, Karnataka, and Rajasthan.
India temporarily suspended the e-visa issue to those in China and cancelled the ones already issued, on 02 February.
Canada
Seven confirmed cases have been reported in Canada as of 07 February, the latest one being in British Columbia. The regions with confirmed cases include British Columbia and Ontario.
The first case of coronavirus infection was reported on 25 January 2020 by the Government of Ontario in a man who visited Wuhan. The second case was that of the patient’s wife and confirmed of having the infection on 27 January 2020.
On 28 January 2020, a third case was confirmed by the Government of British Columbia in a patient who visited the city of Wuhan.
Australia
As of 07 February, Australia has reported 15 confirmed cases of the coronavirus infection, including five in Queensland, four in New South Wales, four in Victoria, and two in South Australia. Out of the total 15, five have reportedly been cured of the infection. Health authorities are currently testing 165 suspected cases who have shown symptoms of the virus.
The first case of the infection was confirmed on 25 January 2020 in a man who travelled from Guangzhou to Melbourne. On 29 January 2020, two new cases of the infection were reported including one in Queensland and another in Victoria. The new case is a 44-year old man who travelled to Queensland from Wuhan. The patient is currently undergoing treatment at the Gold Coast University Hospital and is reported to be stable.
(including three cured cases) have been reported in the country. The previous cases to be reported in the country include a 51-year-old Korean male and a 37-year-old Korean female, both of whom are family members of the 25th confirmed case. Both of them visited the Guangdong province in China and are currently being treated at a designated isolation hospital.
The Republic of Korea reported the first case of coronavirus in a 35-year-old woman residing in Wuhan who travelled to the country on 20 January 2020. One of the cases include a 41-year-old female who is a family member of the 15th confirmed case. She is currently being treated at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital.
Other cases include a 59-year-old female and a 46-year-old male who are being treated at Seoul National University Hospital and Chosun University Hospital, respectively. The 23rd case is of a 58-year-old female tourist from China.
United Arab Emirates
A total of eight confirmed cases have been reported by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as of 10 February. The latest case is an Indian national who came in contact with an infected person.
The first coronavirus case was confirmed on 29 January 2020 in a family, which arrived from Wuhan. The remaining three members of the family were later confirmed to have contracted the infection.
The Dubai and Abu Dhabi International airports in the UAE are ranked as some of the world’s busiest airports in the world. The country is carrying out screening procedures for all passengers arriving from China as a precautionary measure to control the spread of the virus.
Taiwan
Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) confirmed additional cases of coronavirus infection on 09 February bringing the total cases to 18. The latest cases including a man in his 40s and a woman in her 20s recently visited Wuhan. A total of 1,290 cases have been reported in the country, out of which 1,135 have tested negative and results are awaited for the remaining.
The CECC announced the 11th confirmed case of coronavirus infection on 04 February 2020. The new case is one of three Taiwanese businessmen who were evacuated from Wuhan. The 50-year old man is currently in a stable condition. The other two evacuees have tested negative for the virus.
Taiwan reported the first case of the coronavirus infection on 21 January 2020. The initial confirmed cases included two 70-year-old Chinese women who worked in Wuhan.
Spain
A total of two cases have been confirmed in Spain by the Spanish National Centre for Microbiology, as of 09 February, as reported by Reuters. The second case is one of four family members of British origin who came in contact with a person in France who was diagnosed with the virus. He is currently placed under observation in Mallorca. The remaining members of the family have tested negative for the virus.
The first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection was reported in Spain on 1 February by the country’s National Centre for Microbiology. The male patient was part of group of five other people who came in contact with a German national who was diagnosed with the infection.
The patient along with the other people in the group have been placed under isolation in the La Gomera island.
France
A total of 11 confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported in France as of 08 February. The latest cases reported are of five British nationals who came in contact with another British national who recently returned from Singapore, as reported by the BBC. The British nationals were staying at the Contamines-Montjoie ski resort, in Haute-Savoie in Southeastern France.
France was the first European country to report two coronavirus cases on 24 January 2020. A third case, confirmed on 25 January 2020, was that of a relative of one of the confirmed cases. The three patients contracted the virus during their stay in China according to France’s Ministry of Solidarity and Health. Two of the patients are being treated in Paris while the other is undergoing treatment in Bordeaux.
The fourth case was confirmed on 29 January 2020. The case is an elderly Chinese tourist from the Hubei Province. The daughter of the fourth patient has been identified as the fifth confirmed case in France.
Italy
Italy reported three confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, as of 06 February, as quoted by Reuters. The latest case is one of 56 Italian nationals deported from Wuhan and placed under isolation. He has been shifted to Rome’s Spallanzani Institute for treatment.
The first two coronavirus cases were reported on 30 January 2020. The two patients are Chinese tourists who arrived in Rome. They are currently placed under isolation in Spallanzani institute.
As an immediate measure, Italy has cancelled all direct flights to China.
Republic of Korea
As of 11 February, a total of 28 confirmed cases of coronavirus (including three cured cases) have been reported in the country. The previous cases to be reported in the country include a 51-year-old Korean male and a 37-year-old Korean female, both of whom are family members of the 25th confirmed case. Both of them visited the Guangdong province in China and are currently being treated at a designated isolation hospital.
The Republic of Korea reported the first case of coronavirus in a 35-year-old woman residing in Wuhan who travelled to the country on 20 January 2020. One of the cases include a 41-year-old female who is a family member of the 15th confirmed case. She is currently being treated at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital.
Other cases include a 59-year-old female and a 46-year-old male who are being treated at Seoul National University Hospital and Chosun University Hospital, respectively. The 23rd case is of a 58-year-old female tourist from China.
Philippines
A total of three confirmed cases have been reported in the country, as of 11 February.
Three confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection have been reported in the Philippines, as of 05 February. The country also reported the first death due to coronavirus outside China. The 44-year old male died on 01 February, confirmed WHO Philippines.
The first case of coronavirus infection in the Philippines was confirmed on 30 January 2020. A 38-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan tested positive for the virus and is currently undergoing treatment at a government hospital. She’s a close contact to the person who died due to the infection.
The Philippines reported a total of 133 suspected cases in the country. Japanese experts initially helped the country in testing the potential cases. The RNA primer required for conducting the testing has now been provided to the country to carry out tests on its own.
Iran
Iran has suspected cases of coronavirus, although the number is not officially announced, reported The Islamic Republic News Agency quoting Saeed Namaki. No confirmed coronavirus case has been observed in Iran as yet.
Iran has, meanwhile, made available digital thermometers at 36 borders and is observing the suspected at hospitals.
Brazil
Following the announcement of three suspected cases of coronavirus in Brazil on 28 January, a higher number of suspected cases is being announced. As of 03 February, Brazil had 14 suspected cases being tested for the virus. The suspected cases have been reported in the states of Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil is considering to declare a public health emergency given the rise in the number of suspects. The government approved the repatriation of 30 Brazilians from Wuhan. Two Brazilian air force planes carrying the passengers arrived at a military base in Anapolis in the state of Goias on 09 February, the New York Times reported. The passengers have been placed under quarantine for a period of 18 days.
Pakistan
Media reports in Pakistan have stated that the number of coronavirus suspects in the country has risen to seven, from the initial five, as of 30 January. Five new suspected cases of the virus were reported on 09 February, as quoted by Economic Times. The new cases including four Pakistani nationals and one Chinese national arrived at Islamabad on an Air China flight. They were shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences to carry out tests.
Coronavirus in Africa – Equatorial Guinea
Coronavirus suspects in Africa are on the rise, with the virus now suspected to have reached Equatorial Guinea through travellers from Beijing, as reported by the Daily Mail on 30 January 2020. Four suspects that have symptoms of the virus have been quarantined, it added.
The Equatorial Guinea announced its plans to donate $2m to China on 07 February to support its fight against the virus, reported the BBC.
Poland
As of 05 February, five more people suspected with coronavirus have been admitted to a hospital for observation and tests, while initial tests on 30 people evacuated from Wuhan earlier have been negative although further tests are planned to be conducted.
At least 12 suspected coronavirus cases were reported in Poland as of 04 February, reported Polish Press Agency, while more than 500 are under observation, citing Deputy Health Minister as having stated.
The suspected are from those evacuated from Wuhan and were admitted to a hospital in Wroclaw, reported another Polish news publication, RynekZdrowia.
Sudan
Sudan reported two suspected cases of coronavirus infection on 29 January. The two patients, a man and a woman, had recently visited Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. They arrived in the country through Ethiopian Airlines and Egypt Air from China.
The suspected cases were identified through precautionary and monitoring measures implemented at the Khartoum Airport, Radio Dabanga reported. Both the patients are currently under medical observation. A total of 21 passengers arriving from China were screened and examined in the states of Khartoum and El Gezira.
Checkpoints have been placed at various airports and ports including the Khartoum Airport, Port Sudan Airport, and Port Sudan Port. Two isolation centres have been prepared at the Khartoum Hospital and the Khartoum airport.
Colombia
The first suspected case of the coronavirus infection was reported in Colombia on 27 January 2020. A male passenger arrived in Cali from China passing through Spain and the US. The patient showed symptoms such as fever and respiratory troubles. He has been placed in isolation in a private clinic in Cali.
Samples for testing have been sent to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control in the US. As many as 50 suspected cases have been reported in the country, as quoted by Reuters.
Colombia announced on 05 February that it was the first country in Latin America to perform its own diagnostics tests for coronavirus. The tests can deliver test results in a span of 24 hours.
Indonesia
A total of 50 suspected cases of coronavirus infection have been reported across the country, as quoted by Strait Times. Two cases were reported in Bandung, West Java, one in Sorong, West Papua, one in Sidoarjo, East Java and four in Central Java. Samples for 49 of the suspected cases have tested negative while results from one case are pending.
The government has implemented various measures to contain the spread of the virus. It has installed thermal screening at all airports and ports and cancelled visa-on-arrival for all Chinese nationals. It has also halted all flights to and from China, in addition, to temporarily banning imports of live animals.
On 09 February, 200 Indonesians evacuated from Wuhan arrived in the country. They have been placed under a 14-day quarantine in the Natuna Islands, in the Riau province.
Romania joins suspected countries with coronavirus
Romania reported one coronavirus suspected case in Suceava, who was hospitalised at Sfânta Parascheva hospital, to have tested negative, on 08 February.
Two Romanian citizens who reached Germany from China are being tested in Germany and quarantined for 14 days.
Digi24 reported about a suspected coronavirus case of a Romanian who recently returned from Germany after nursing coronavirus patients in Munich. The person has coronavirus symptoms and is currently being tested.
Coronavirus countries: Ukraine in suspected list
Ukraine has five suspected coronavirus cases as of 11 February, as reported by Kyiv Post quoting Health Minister Zoryana Skaletska as having announced at a meeting. Three of the suspected returned from China.
Further, 25 Ukrainian citizens are on the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess in Japan, as crew. Two of them are found to be ill and transferred to a Japanese hospital for treatment and medical observation.
Ukraine received coronavirus test kits earlier on 05 February and is performing tests on the suspected where deemed necessary.
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