Countries around world scramble to halt spread of virus that has so far killed almost 3,000 people * Coronavirus – latest updates Saudi Arabia has taken the unprecedented step of banning foreign pilgrims from entering the country five months before the annual hajj pilgrimages, while Japan will close its schools next week as countries around the world scramble to halt the spread of the coronavirus. So far, the virus has killed nearly 3,000 people and infected more than 82,000, prompting warnings that the world is fast approaching a “tipping point”. Related: Coronavirus map: how Covid-19 is spreading across the world Related: What is coronavirus and what should I do if I have symptoms? The World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the Wuhan coronavirus, for which there is no specific cure or vaccine. China’s health authority reported another drop in the number of new infections, with 433 new confirmed cases and 29 deaths in mainland China on Wednesday. Iran’s state-run Irna news agency reported that the country had confirmed 245 cases and 26 deaths. Iran remains the regional hotspot for the coronavirus and is the country with the highest death toll outside China, where the Covid-19 outbreak originated. However, experts fear Iran is underreporting the number of cases. Iraq announced the first confirmed case of coronavirus in the capital, Baghdad, taking nationwide infections to six and raising concerns about the capacity of the dilapidated health system to respond. Hours earlier, the government announced sweeping measures to try to contain the spread of the virus, ordering the closure of schools and universities, cafes, cinemas and other public spaces until 7 March. The number of cases in Kuwait jumped from 26 to 43 – all linked to people who had recently visited Iran. Bahrain has reported 33 cases, the United Arab Emirates 13 and Oman four. South Korea, which has the highest number of cases outside mainland China, reported a further 505 cases on Thursday, bringing its total to 1,766. It was the largest daily jump since the first confirmed infection on 20 January. Most of the cases were again centred on Daegu, where a church at the centre of the country’s outbreak is located. Italy remained the centre of European infection, with 528 confirmed cases and 14 deaths. A second person tested positive for the coronavirus in the eastern Spanish region of Valencia, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 15. The man – who is showing mild symptoms of the virus – was among the 2,500 Spaniards who travelled to Milan on 19 February to watch Valencia play Atalanta in the Champions League. Denmark recorded its first case – a man returning after a skiing holiday in Italy – while Estonia, Pakistan, Brazil, Georgia, Norway, North Macedonia, Greece and Romania are among the countries that have reported their first cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours. Continue reading...
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