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Total confirmed cases: More than 64,000
Total deaths: At least 1,380
The American public's risk of getting infected with the new coronavirus is "very low" but that could change "rapidly," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told CNBC. "We're deploying the full force of the U.S. government to protect the health and safety of the American people," Azar said. Health officials have confirmed 15 U.S. cases of COVID-19. Azar said people can protect themselves from the virus by washing their hands with soap and water, avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth. — Lovelace
The next two weeks will be crucial in determining the economic impact of the coronavirus, says International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. In that time, factories are due to reopen in China, which would give a "better understanding on the resilience of China and on that basis, the spillover for the rest of the world," Georgieva said. She said the IMF was also watching how the new coronavirus was spreading outside of China, stating that it was "not a major issue for now" but if it spreads into "weak health system countries, for example in Africa" that may change. — McKeever
Two weeks after the Lunar New Year holiday was originally supposed to end, Chinese businesses are still hobbling as the country deals with disruptions from a highly contagious virus. The new coronavirus that began to grab national attention in mid-January has killed more than 1,300 people in mainland China. More than half of the provinces delayed the resumption of work from the first week of February by at least a week in an effort to keep people from interacting and spreading the virus. In many places, businesses were scheduled to resume work last Monday, but a variety of data indicates progress has been slow as the virus remains an unresolved concern. Many local governments have also imposed strict restrictions on entering certain areas and requiring quarantines of at least two weeks for people who have returned from out of town. — Cheng
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Friday pledged handouts totaling $3.2 billion to the Hospital Authority and businesses grappling with the coronavirus outbreak that has piled further pressure on the Chinese-ruled city's battered economy. Lam said the government would provide $605 million to the Hospital Authority in addition to a series of one-off payments to retailers and others impacted by the outbreak. Hong Kong has 56 confirmed cases of the virus, including one death. The package will need to be approved by the city's Legislative Council. — Reuters
This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (orange)—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (green) cultured in the lab.
Source: NIAID-RML
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the ruling Communist Party to repair loopholes and weaknesses exposed during the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak, Reuters reported Friday, citing state television. His comments came shortly after China's National Health Commission reported an additional 121 deaths nationwide, with 5,090 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus. The flu-like COVID-19 virus was found to have killed a total of 1,380 people in mainland China as of Thursday evening after the health commission said it had removed 108 deaths from the total figure due to a double-count in Hubei province — the epicenter of the outbreak. It is the second day in a row that the province made significant changes to its count, fueling doubts many have about the accuracy of China's tally. The White House does "not have high confidence in the information coming out of China," a senior U.S. administration official told CNBC on Thursday.
Auto sales in China are expected to fall more than 10% in the first six months of the year as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Reuters reported Friday, citing China's top auto industry body. "We predict auto sales will drop more than 10% in the first half of this year, and around 5% for the whole year if the epidemic is effectively contained before April," Fu Bingfeng, executive vice chairman at China's Association of Automobile Manufacturers, told Reuters in an interview published Friday. CAAM's latest forecast reflects a much weaker outlook for auto sales in the world's largest auto market than it had initially projected. Last month, the industry body said it expected auto sales were likely to dip 2% in 2020.
Read CNBC's coverage from CNBC's Asia-Pacific team overnight here: China says six health workers have died, Singapore warns of recession. All times above are in Eastern time.
— Reuters and CNBC's Hannah Miller, Vicky McKeever, Sam Meredith, Weizhen Tan, Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report.
The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the new coronavirus, which has killed almost 1,400 people and is still spreading in China, could be around for at least another year. With the Chinese government reporting 121 more deaths and more than 5,000 new cases Thursday alone, the illness dubbed COVID-19 didn't even appear to have peaked.
Chinese health officials in the epicenter province of Hubei changed the way they officially diagnosed the disease this week, leading early Thursday to a sudden, alarming jump of about 14,000 new cases recorded in the region. But the person in charge of managing emergencies for the World Health Organization said that jump in the Chinese statistics did not indicate "a significant change in the trajectory of the outbreak."
It wasn't necessarily the "tip of an iceberg," said the WHO's Mike Ryan.
While the disease takes a fast-mounting toll, and sparks increasing scenes of draconian control measures being enforced in mainland China, there have been only three deaths blamed on it elsewhere; one each in Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. The U.S. has 15 confirmed cases, but none are said to be suffering serious symptoms.
Meanwhile, in the U.S. and around the world, evacuees flown back to their countries from Hubei province and put under immediate two-week quarantines continue to be released back into public life after being cleared of the disease.
Passengers from a cruise ship that was denied entry by five countries over fears of the virus finally disembarked Friday in Cambodia, expressing deep gratitude to the country's leader as he welcomed them with roses.
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A passenger, right, is hugged by Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen after she disembarked from the MS Westerdam, at the port of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on Friday. Heng Sinith/AP hide caption
Passengers and crew aboard a cruise ship denied entry at several Asian ports in recent days due to fears of coronavirus, cheered as they were finally allowed to disembark in Cambodia on Friday.
The MS Westerdam with nearly 1,500 passengers aboard had been rebuffed by Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines and the U.S. territory of Guam before ultimately being allowed to dock at the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville.
Although none of the passengers or crew aboard had reported any symptoms of COVID-19, the pneumonia-like disease caused by the novel coronavirus, concern of contagion had forced them to remain at sea after the vessel docked in Hong Kong on Feb. 1.
Nothing to fear, we are all about peace and love: #Cambodian PM Hun Sen personally welcomes passengers of #Westerdam, the cruise ship earlier turned away by Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan, Japan and Guam. #coronavirus pic cr Hun Sen's FB page pic.twitter.com/HXlRiY56qT
— Tan Hui Yee (@Tan_Hui_Yee) February 14, 2020
Cambodia's authoritarian prime minister, Hun Sen, said he allowed the Westerdam to call in his country for humanitarian reasons and greeted the passengers as they disembarked.
"How wonderful it is to be here. Thank you very much to the prime minister. He has a wonderful heart," said Anna Marie Melon, from Queensland, Australia, according to The Associated Press. "I'm very excited (to be here)," she said as she waved a rose Hun Sen handed to her.
Disembarking day #Westerdam #sihanoukville #Cambodia pic.twitter.com/94QInSYvvG
— Chan Thul Prak (@prakchanthul) February 14, 2020
"Cambodia alone, even the United States, Guam, did not let us land, but Cambodia did, so that's wonderful. Absolutely wonderful," Joe Spaziani, 74, of Florida told local reporters. "We appreciate it very very much. It's been a long struggle and we appreciate everyone being here."
Holland America, which operates the Westerdam, said in a statement on Thursday that 20 samples taken aboard the ship had come back negative for coronavirus infection after being tested by the Pasteur Laboratory in Phnom Penh.
"We also extend our deepest gratitude to President Trump, Cambodia's Honorable Prime Minister Hun Sen, Canadian Foreign Minister [François-Philippe] Champagne, elected officials across the country and governments around the world for providing support and being effective allies in bringing our guests home," Stein Kruse, Group CEO, Holland America Group and Carnival UK, said in the statement.
Aboard another cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, passengers were celebrating Valentine's Day in quarantine as they remained shipbound at the port of Yokohama, near Tokyo. Nearly 220 people aboard the ship carrying 3,700 passengers and crew have been diagnosed with coronavirus infection.
Military medics arrive at Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province, on Thursday. On orders of the Central Military Commission, 11 transport aircraft of the People's Liberation Army Air Force sent medics and supplies. Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images hide caption
In China, where the virus was first identified in December, health officials reported 5,090 new infections and 121 new deaths, bringing the total number of cases in China since the outbreak began to 55,748, with 1,380 deaths. In its announcement on Thursday, the National Health Commission said the new toll takes account of some deaths in Hubei province, the epicenter of the epidemic, that were previously double counted.
According to the World Health Organization's latest situation report on Thursday, there have been another 447 confirmed cases in 24 other countries outside of China, with one additional death.
The figures from China were the second batch released after Hubei changed the diagnostic criteria for the disease, adding patients who were showing symptoms of COVID-19 but that either had not been tested for the virus or had previously tested negative. The change, apparently in response to a scarcity of test kits and concerns about their reliability, caused a sharp uptick in cases.
The World Health Organization on Thursday took pains to dispel concerns that the sudden increase resulting from the revised criteria in Hubei meant any shift in the mortality or severity of the epidemic.
"This does not represent a significant change in the trajectory of the outbreak," said Mark Ryan, head of WHO's health emergencies program.
Meanwhile, a Chinese state-owned biotech company announced Thursday that antibodies harvested from the plasma of patients who had recovered from COVID-19 was showing promise as a possible treatment for the disease.
China National Biotec Group said it had detected antibodies to the novel coronavirus in plasma of people who had been infected but recovered. They used the antibodies to treat patients in critical condition, with significant results, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
The report said the company sent a team to collect plasma from patients in the central city of Wuhan, where the outbreak began and where the largest number of coronavirus cases are still found, on Jan. 20.
It said three critically ill patients in the Jiangxia District of Wuhan received the treatment on Feb. 8 and that currently "more than 10" critically ill patients were being similarly treated.
"According to clinical results, 12 to 24 hours after the patients received the treatment, they have shown improved clinical symptoms, with main inflammatory indexes decreased significantly and some key indexes such as blood oxygen saturation improving comprehensively," Xinhua reported.
Tyrone Siu Reuters
China again reported a big jump in coronavirus cases on Friday after changing its methodology for diagnosing and counting infections, denting hopes that the deadly outbreak could be petering out.
With another 5,000 reported Friday, the number of cases in mainland China has now surged past 63,000, and the economic fallout is mounting. The latest casualties are flower sellers in the country, some of whom have seen their sales fall up to 95 percent on Valentine’s Day.
More places in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, are enacting “wartime” measures, such as sealing off residential complexes and only allowing essential vehicles on the roads. Authorities in Yunmeng county, where the new steps kicked in on Friday morning, said that anyone attempting to breach the lockdown “at compounds, buildings or road connections” would be detained.
Here are the latest developments:
● More cities in Hubei province are putting in place “wartime” measures, barring citizens from leaving their homes and threatening penalties for anyone who breaches the orders.
● Singapore’s leader warned of a possible recession as the virus and travel curbs slam the regional economy.
● Japan has said that 10 people evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship are in serious condition, as the cruise industry braces for serious losses over coronavirus fears.
● China’s National Health Commission said more than 1,700 medical workers have been infected with coronavirus, six of whom have died, citing the latest available figures as of Feb. 11.
4:40 AM: Flower market sees Valentine’s Day sales wilt
BEIJING — This season looks grim for the thousands of vendors at China’s largest flower trading center, Kunming Dounan market, which sells billions of freshly cut flowers a year and accounts for almost three quarters of flower transactions in China.
The Dounan market saw its supplies halved and wholesale prices slump by over 70 percent on Feb. 10, the first day of trading after the Lunar New Year holiday. A manager of Kunming International Flower Auction Exchange Center estimated that Yunnan’s flower farmers and vendors stand to lose up to $1.4 billion in the first quarter of 2020.
“Roses were thrown away in huge piles,” a wholesaler who only gave his family name as Hu told 21st Century Business Herald on Friday.
Another retailer, identified only as Zhang, said that the traffic control measures due to the coronavirus outbreak had cut off supplies from some flower-growing villages in Yunnan and hindered the transportation of fresh flowers to other parts of China.
“I only hope I can go back to work as soon as possible,” Zhang said, adding that Valentine’s Day normally accounts for 20 to 30 percent of their annual sales.
By: Lyric Li
4:28 AM: Singapore leader warns of possible recession over coronavirus
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the coronavirus outbreak has seriously affected the city-state’s economy, which could slide into recession over the coming quarters.
Quoting the prime minister on a visit to Singapore’s airport, the Straits Times reported that coronavirus has already hit the economy harder than the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, which lasted some five months.
“It’s already much more than SARS, and the economies of the region are much more interlinked together. China, particularly, is a much bigger factor in the region,” Lee said.
Singapore has 58 confirmed cases, among the highest tally globally. Taiwan, South Korea and others have added Singapore to its list of travel advisories, urging citizens to refrain from visiting. Singapore meanwhile has also barred all arrivals from mainland China to minimize the risk of further outbreaks. The government is bracing for a serious impact on tourism, estimating arrivals will drop by 25 to 30 per cent.
“I can’t say whether we will have a recession or not,” Lee said, according to the Straits Times. “It’s possible, but definitely our economy will take a hit.”
By: Shibani Mahtani
3:43 AM: Japan reports another four cases of coronavirus as risk of full-blown outbreak grows
TOKYO — Japan reported another four cases of the new coronavirus Friday, adding to four cases announced the previous day and bringing the national total to 36, as fears rise that the country could be facing its own outbreak of the disease.
One of the most worrying cases announced Thursday was a doctor in the eastern prefecture of Wakayama. On Friday, a former patient at the hospital, a male farmer in his 70s, was found to have the virus. One other doctor and one other patient were also showing some pneumonia-like symptoms and awaiting test results.
A case was also confirmed in the southwestern island of Okinawa, the last port of call of the cruise ship Diamond Princess before it was placed in quarantine in Yokohama last week. A female taxi driver in her 60s found to have the virus was among 200 people who had been under monitoring in Okinawa because they had been in contact with passengers from then ship during their 9.5-hour stay.
Issei Kato
Reuters
People line up to buy masks at a drugstore in Tokyo on Friday.
The other two cases were found in Tokyo, both in people believed to have been in contact with a taxi driver diagnosed with the virus on Thursday, Japanese media reported. The driver said he had carried Chinese passengers.
Japan’s government vowed to step up testing for the virus on Friday, but health minister Katsunobu Kato tried to play down concerns.
“We do not have sufficient evidence to change our current position that the outbreak is not widespread,” he said, according to broadcaster NHK. “Yet we cannot deny it has spread. We are preparing for that situation so we would be ready if we get into that situation.”
Masahiro Kami, executive director at the Medical Governance Research Institute in Tokyo, said the fight against the virus is entering a new phase in Japan.
“The public has now come to be aware that an outbreak is spreading within Japan,” he said.
Kami said the virus had already been spreading undetected for some time — evidenced by the fact that a Thai couple were found to have the virus after returning from a visit to Japan. He added that the case of the doctor in Wakayama was a potentially serious problem.
“Doctors and other medical staff, if they get infected, have a possibility that they may transmit the infection to patients where they are hospitalized,” he said. “And these are the people who are most vulnerable to the risk of death. This is an issue to which we have to give the highest attention now.”
By: Akiko Kashiwagi and Simon Denyer
2:45 AM: Vietnam considers ‘highest penalty’ for factory making masks from toilet paper
Authorities have found a factory in Hanoi using toilet paper to produce face masks, the Vietnam Express reported, cutting corners as coronavirus fears fuel rising demand for supplies of protective items.
Officials this week were suspicious when they found dozens of large toilet paper rolls at the factory, the outlet reported, and discovered that they were being used to replace the inner antibacterial layer that stops microbes from entering or exiting the surgical mask.
Yen Duong
Reuters
People wearing face masks in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, this week.
“This company is cheating consumers amid the novel coronavirus outbreak,” said Hoang Dai Nghia from the Hanoi Market Surveillance Department. The company’s stock has been confiscated, and authorities are now considering appropriate penalties.
According to the Vietnam Express, the company, Viet Han Company, is not listed as a medical equipment producer, but as a printer and napkin maker.
The World Health Organization has warned of a global shortage of surgical masks as customers, particularly in Asia, rush to protect themselves against the spread of the virus. Many factories are now trying to pivot and produce these items, but counterfeits have also flooded the market, with false trademarks and false details on where the masks originated from.
By: Shibani Mahtani
2:37 AM: More than 1,700 medical workers in China infected with virus
BEIJING — China’s National Health Commission said Friday that at least 1,716 medical staff have contractracted coronavirus, and six have died.
Zeng Yixin, the vice director of the National Health Commission, was citing the latest figures available as of Feb. 11. Of these cases, 1,502 were reported in Hubei province. The health commission said that the illness will be identified as an occupation injury for medical workers, who will be covered by insurance.
The most sensitive of these cases is the death of Li Wenliang, the whistleblower doctor who is considered the first to sound the alarm about the new virus when he leaked a document on Dec. 30 from his hospital, confirming the diagnosis. When he succumbed from the disease, grief and rage filled social media, as the country saw his death as a parable for the Communist Party’s failings.
Read more: Chinese doctor who tried to raise alarm on coronavirus in Wuhan dies on ‘front line’ of medical fight.
By: Wang Yuan
2:10 AM: Chinese cities turn to apps, facial-recognition technology to police coronavirus
BEIJING — Chinese authorities in Nanjing have asked residents in the city of 8 million and returning workers to register their personal information on an app, as officials turn away travelers and other short-term visitors.
In a notice issued late Thursday, the Nanjing city government asked returning residents and migrant workers based there to register on an app called “Ning Guilai” — a pun which can either mean Nanjing Returns or Peace Returns. The app requires a facial scan to confirm that all identification information is accurate.
“Your travel could be affected if we find the information you filled in to be inaccurate; more importantly, it will leave a dark spot in your personal credit record,” the Nanjing government’s notice read, also warning of potential “legal liabilities.”
The app also specified that only those with a permanent residence and workplace in Nanjing, and who are not from the epicenter of the outbreak, Hubei province, are free to travel into the city. Short-term visitors and travelers without a permanent residence or long-term job in Nanjing must postpone trips there, the city government said.
Shanghai has similarly relied on apps to track arrivals, announcing on Feb. 1 that visitors coming in from airports, train stations and toll gates would have to register their personal information on a smartphone app called Healthcare Cloud. The app was originally designed for making hospital appointments and other health services, but now includes a separate section that requires users to register their detailed personal information, including their ID, home and Shanghai addresses, phone number, emergency contact, and travel itinerary.
Yunnan province this week also launched a WeChat in-app program, Kang Yiqing or “Fighting the Epidemic,” that requires residents to register their personal information by scanning a QR code when entering a public venue — including residential areas, farmers markets, shopping malls, supermarkets and subway stations.
“For those who refuse to cooperate, public venue management has the right to ban them from entering or exiting. Those who try to force into public venues without registration, disturb public order, or cause serious consequences, will be held accountable according to law,” Yunnan authorities said.
By: Lyric Li
1:50 AM: Japan says 10 people evacuated from the Diamond Princess in serious condition
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Japan’s health ministry said on Friday that 10 people evacuated from the quarantined cruise ship the Diamond Princess are in serious condition, with eight confirmed to have the new coronavirus.
One of the other two is still awaiting results of a test.
Charly Triballeau
Afp Via Getty Images
A security guard is seen in front of the Diamond Princess cruise ship at Yokohama on Friday.
Amid persistent criticism of its approach, the government said it would start allowing some people who have tested negative for the virus to disembark from the ship early, and finish their quarantine at a facility on land. Priority will be given to passengers over the age of 80 and those with existing medical problems, as well as people in windowless cabins, health minister Katsunobu Kato said.
So far, 218 people on board the ship have tested positive for the virus, out of 713 people who have been assessed. The government says it plans to step up testing in a bid to examine everyone on board before the quarantine ends on Feb. 19.
A quarantine officer involved in screening passengers for the virus also fell sick, with the health ministry saying he did not follow proper procedures, wiping away sweat with his gloves and reusing a mask he had worn earlier, NHK reported.
Read more about the conditions on board the Diamond Princess: Japan relaxes cruise ship quarantine for elderly amid fears of virus spread.
By: Simon Denyer
1:35 AM: Love in a time of coronavirus: Roses are out, broccoli and hand sanitizer is in
BEIJING — Forget red roses. Broccoli, cauliflower, masks and hand sanitizer are now the way to prove you love your partner this Valentine’s Day in China, according to Meituan, the country’s largest on-demand services provider.
Flower delivery platforms are reporting a massive drop in online flower sales, as health fears dissuade people from ordering anything online or picking up deliveries. Zhong’ai Flower, an online flower delivery platform based in Wuhan, the epicenter of coronavirus outbreak, reported a sales drop of 90 percent. Ma Yingzi, a flower supplier in Beijing, also estimated a 95 percent drop in flower sales this Valentine’s Day.
The new favorites: broccoli and cauliflower. Meituan said roses are no longer its most ordered items on this day of love, while the vegetables instead have become hot items. Broccoli in Chinese contains the word “flower” in its name, making it a popular gift in lieu of actual flowers, with more nutrients to boot.
And instead of chocolate, others are option for more practical gifts. Meituan’s sales data show that gift orders still grew by 30 percent on Feb. 14, but the most-searched present options were masks, goggles and disinfectants.
By: Wang Yuan
1:30 AM: Super Soaper Soffy, Wipe Up Wilson and Mask Up Mei Mei join Singapore’s coronavirus fight
Singapore’s education ministry has launched a new song — “Bye Bye Virus” — featuring a cast of virus-fighting superheroes in the hopes of teaching schoolchildren best-practice hygiene measures to fend off the outbreak. "
It even comes with a dance.
Singapore Ministry of EducationThe lyrics replicate advice that has been doled out by the government in recent weeks, but in rhymes: “Wear a mask if you’re falling sick / go see a doctor, don’t be so thick.” The chorus is simply “coronavirus go away, don’t you stay.”
The cast of superhero characters, like Mask Up Mei Mei and Wipe Down Wilson, all provide specific tips on mask wearing, hand washing and remind students to avoid touching their faces.
Experts have praised Singapore’s transparency and proactive measures in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak. The city-state has 58 confirmed cases, one of the highest of any country, but health experts say has been more proactive about weeding out confirmed cases and tracking down clusters of infection.
Unlike Hong Kong, which has a similar number of infections and a similar population, schools in Singapore have not closed and lessons have continued largely as usual. Only interschool activities have been canceled. Singapore has been focusing its public education efforts on schools and the young, who are vulnerable to the spread of diseases.
By: Shibani Mahtani
1:23 AM: More counties in Hubei enact ‘wartime measures,’ barring citizens from leaving home
BEIJING — Hubei’s most densely populated county became the latest to implement “wartime measures” to control the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, effectively barring residents from leaving their homes.
The Yunmeng Public Security Bureau said on its official WeChat account that these measures would take effect Friday. All residential complexes have been sealed off and only essential vehicles will be allowed on the roads.
“Anyone who forces their way out of compounds, buildings or road connections will be detained,” Yunmeng authorities said.
Neighborhood communities are required to assign staff to help residents buy daily necessities. The county has over 300 confirmed coronavirus infections, and has a population of about half a million people.
The orders will be in place for about two weeks, according to Chinese state media.
Experts have questioned the effectiveness of these lockdowns and the legality of applying “wartime” controls in this public health emergency.
By: Wang Yuan and Shibani Mahtani
