Via Deutsche Welle, an eventful end to January: Coronavirus: Two more cases at German company Webasto — live updates. Excerpt, with my bolding:
00:07 The latest number of infected in China is now nearly 11,800, according to Chinese state TV.
22:39 Chinese authorities said 45 people were killed by the virus on Friday, putting the total death toll to 258. This would make the last 24 hours the deadliest since the outbreak started, topping the yesterday's record of 38 deaths.
22:33 With some 9,800 confirmed cases, the new virus has already infected more people than the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic which infected less than 8,100 individuals. According to China's statistics, however, coronavirus appears to be proportionately less deadly than SARS. The latest outbreak has killed 258 people, while SARS claimed about 800 lives during its run.
22:23 Spain confirms its first coronavirus case.
22:18 Russia's S7 airline said it would suspend flights to and from China, joining a range of European and US carriers who halted their trips to the Chinese mainland.
The Russian airline will send out charter flights to repatriate Chinese citizens from Russia and vice versa, and all other passengers will get a full refund for their tickets, the company said.
22:06 Stock markets fell again amid coronavirus fears, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (which measures the performance of 30 large companies listed on US stock exchanges) losing some 2.1%. This marks the Dow's biggest daily loss since August. Stock markets in Hong Kong and Tokyo also closed on a low note, albeit with smaller loses.
20:52 The US declares a public health emergency. US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says in a press conference that President Donald Trump will temporarily bar foreign nationals who might carry the virus from entering the US.
19:50 There are now seven confirmed cases of coronavirus in Germany, according to the Bavarian Ministry of Health, though DW is struggling to follow the math. Webasto has reported seven infected employees, two Chinese and five Germans. Webasto says the two Chinese employees have both returned to China and are receiving treatment. Including the infected child of one German employee, that would bring the total of cases currently in Bavaria to six. In any case, we'll keep the office abacus handy.
19:31 Kuwait issues an advisory against travelling to China and calls on Kuwaitis currently there to return.
19:02 Around 200 Americans have arrived in California from Wuhan, where they will be quarantined on a US air base in California for the next 14 days, under quarantine orders issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
18:56 The Turkish and Greek factions of the divided island of Cyprus have agreed to meet regularly and communicate on necessary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
"The first priority is the duty to protect the citizens of Cyprus—Greek and Turkish Cypriots," said Anastasiades in a statement.
Currently, there are no reports of the infection on the island. Only Turkey recognizes the legitimacy of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a region in the northern part of the island where 35,000 Turkish troops are located. The southern Republic of Cyprus has been an EU member since 2004.
18:31 The Bavarian-based employer of the first known coronavirus case in Germany confirmed that two more employees have tested positive for the infection.
In a press release, automotive supplier Webasto confirmed that one German and one Chinese employee tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of infected employees to seven, five German and two Chinese employees among them. A child of one of the German employees has also been infected.
"Both newly infected Webasto employees had close exchange last week with one or more of the five colleagues who tested positive at the beginning of the week," the press release read. "All seven were together in several longer meetings at the headquarters in Stockdorf."
17:41 Fearing that fallout from the coronavirus could affect global oil demand, Russia is pushing for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to bring forward its next meeting from March to February. Analysts and traders predict that the outbreak could cut oil demand by over 250,000 barrels a day and hurt already languishing oil prices.
17:10 Experts say as many as 75,800 people may have been infected with the virus. This is according to research modelling done by the University of Hong Kong and published in international medical journal The Lancet. The study's authors say the lack of detailed information makes it difficult to determine the "true size of the epidemic and its pandemic potential."
