Governments worldwide yesterday were scrambling to prevent the spread of COVID-19 after fresh infections emerged linked to European hotspot Italy amid dire warnings that countries are not ready to contain the outbreak.
Giving most concern on that score in the Middle East, Iran has emerged as a major hotspot. Nineteen people have died and 44 further infections were reported across the country in the past 24 hours, including Iranian Deputy Minister of Health Iraj Harirchi.
In another crucial hotspot, South Korea, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 284 new infections — its largest daily increase to date — taking the overall national tally to 1,261, with the death toll rising to 12.
The vast majority — 90 percent — of the new infections were in Daegu, the country’s fourth-largest city, and the neighboring province of North Gyeongsang.
The streets of Daegu — which has a population of 2.5 million — have been largely deserted for days.
Italy has become the latest major cause for concern after France, Austria, Croatia and Switzerland all reported infections in people who had recently been to its worst-hit Lombardy region.
France reported a second death — this time of one of its nationals after a Chinese tourist died earlier this month.
Greece reported its first case — a woman who had recently travelled to northern Italy — as did Algeria — an Italian national who had arrived in the country last week.
The first case in Latin America was also confirmed yesterday, after a Sao Paulo hospital had flagged the possible infection of a 61-year-old who had visited Italy.
Several governments are now advising people against travel to Italy, in particular to the regions worst affected in the north, as well as introducing checks for passengers arriving from the country.
The Italian outbreak has seen 12 deaths and 374 cases within the country.
Eleven towns have been put in isolation and tens of millions people have been affected by school closures, and the cancelation of cultural and sporting events.
At the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, WHO Assistant Director-General Bruce Aylward, who headed an international expert mission to China, hailed the drastic quarantine and containment measures taken by Beijing.
However, he told reporters on Tuesday that other nations were “simply not ready” to contain the outbreak.
“You have to be ready to manage this at a larger scale ... and it has to be done fast,” Aylward said.
The virus has killed 2,715 people and infected more than 78,000 in China.
There were 52 more deaths reported in China yesterday — the lowest in three weeks — with no fatalities outside the epicenter in Hubei Province.
The Chinese National Health Commission also reported a drop in new infections to 406, with only five outside Hubei — a figure that would boost confidence that the rest of the country is containing the epidemic.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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