The World Nicely being Organization (WHO) has described the coronavirus pandemic is the “defining global health disaster of our time”, and urged international locations to take a look at all suspected circumstances of COVID-19.
“We rating a straightforward message to all international locations – take a look at, take a look at, take a look at,” WHO Director-Frequent Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference in Geneva on Monday. “All international locations ought to be ready to take a look at all suspected circumstances. They are able to no longer fight this pandemic blindfolded.”
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The US and international locations all the absolute best intention through Europe, Asia and the Heart East rating closed colleges, entertainment venues and all however very crucial services.
Governments are limiting all fling back and forth to curb the trot of of us. The Philippines build the total island of Luzon under lockdown, whereas Malaysia will successfully shut off the country from March 18. South Korea and China, cautious of imported infections, rating tightened necessities for world arrivals.
Globally, the virus has contaminated more than 168,000 of us and killed no longer lower than 6,610, per the WHO.
Nearly 80,000 of us rating recovered from the an infection, per files soundless by Johns Hopkins College.
Here is Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
I am Mersiha Gadzo in Doha taking on from my colleague Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur.
Listed right here are the latest updates:
Tuesday, March 17
08: 44 GMT – Philippines confirms 45 more circumstances
In step with the Philippines’ health ministry, 45 more circumstances of the coronavirus rating been confirmed, bringing the total collection of circumstances to 187.
08: 33 GMT – Australian researchers divulge immune response to coronavirus mapped
As scientists high-tail to plan a vaccine, researchers at Australia‘s Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity talked about that they had taken a truly out of the ordinary step in understanding the virus by mapping the immune responses from one among country’s first coronavirus patients.
By inspecting the blood outcomes from an unidentified lady in her 40s, they figured out that folks’s immune methods respond to coronavirus in the a similar technique it in most cases fights flu.
Learn more right here.
08: 20 GMT – Volkswagen Neighborhood to hunch manufacturing
Volkswagen, the world’s most attention-grabbing carmaker, talked about it is making ready to shut its factories to curb the spread of the coronavirus and warned that 2020 will seemingly be a complex 12 months.
“Given the novel vital deterioration in the gross sales disaster and the heightened uncertainty relating to parts gives to our vegetation, manufacturing is to be suspended in the approach future at factories operated by Neighborhood producers,” Chief Executive Herbert Diess talked about.
08: 15 GMT – World fling back and forth expected to plunge 10.5 percent this 12 months
Global fling back and forth is anticipated to plunge by as mighty as 10.5 percent this 12 months, the worst plunge on account, because the short spread of coronavirus continues to disrupt the tourism and leisure sector, per industry consultancy Tourism Economics.
Primarily the latest estimate is a mountainous downgrade from two weeks ago, when the consultancy became the expend of the 2003 SARS outbreak as its benchmark and estimated fling back and forth rates would plunge by 1.5 percent.
08: 12 GMT – Complete circumstances in Pakistan rises to 189.
Five more circumstances of coronavirus rating been detected in the southern Pakistani metropolis of Karachi, raising the country’s total circumstances to 189.
All five of us had as of late travelled lend a hand to Pakistan from Saudi Arabia, Meeran Yousuf, a spokesperson for the provincial health minister, told Al Jazeera.
08: 11 GMT – Pakistan postpones semi-finals and closing of PSL cricket tournament
Pakistan’s cricket board postponed the semi-finals and closing of the Pakistan Gargantuan League T20 cricket tournament, scheduled to be performed on Tuesday and Wednesday, to an unspecified date.
The PSL tournament, which enthusiastic dozens of world cricket stars, became performed entirely on Pakistani soil for the first time in its five 12 months history this season.
An airline passenger passes by a flight files board at San Francisco Global Airport [David J. Phillip/AP]
08: 10 GMT – Iran rapidly frees 85,000 prisoners
Iran has rapidly freed about 85,000 prisoners, along side political prisoners, a spokesman for its judiciary talked about, in response to the coronavirus epidemic.
“Some 50 percent of these launched are security-connected prisoners … Additionally in the jails we rating got taken precautionary measures to confront the outbreak,” Gholamhossein Esmaili talked about.
07: 47 GMT – German minister expects disaster to final till terminate of Might perhaps well well also
German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told German broadcaster RTL that he expected the coronavirus disaster to final till the tip of Might perhaps well well also.
“I build a question to we will have to tackle the penalties for all of the month of April and all of the month of Might perhaps well well also,” he talked about, along side there would be a “great collection of novel infections” all over that time.
“So I would no longer list anybody to monetary institution on this being over in eight days,” Altmaier talked about.
Empty grocery shelves are viewed in a grocery store in Gelsenkirchen, Germany [Martin Meissner/AP]
07: 44 GMT – Airbus to hunch manufacturing in France and Spain
Airbus is stopping manufacturing and assembly activities at its vegetation in France and Spain for the subsequent four days, the planemaker talked about.
The transfer seems to effect the most extreme all the absolute best intention through-the-board disruption in Airbus manufacturing since a strike at then British partner BAE Systems in 1989.
07: 35 GMT – Shanghai extends quarantine to UK, seven heaps of European international locations
Travellers who rating visited the UK, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and Austria in the previous 14 days will seemingly be field to a 14-day quarantine on arrival in Shanghai, a metropolis real talked about.
The metropolis already requires a 14-day quarantine for travellers who rating as of late visited France, Spain, Germany, the US, South Korea, Italy and Iran.
07: 30 GMT – Battle-ravaged Afghanistan battles a brand novel threat
With 22 verified circumstances to this level, Afghanistan is silent among the many international locations with a somewhat low rate of coronavirus circumstances. Nonetheless, the outbreak of the illness comes at an especially attempting time for the country.
Primarily the latest upward push in obvious circumstances – six novel circumstances all the absolute best intention through three provinces in a 48-hour span – has taken some attention from a valid election dispute that observed the pinnacle two finishers each and every withhold an inauguration ceremony final week.
Learn more right here.
Dr Najmussama Shefajo, an obstetrician-gynaecologist in Kabul, warns her pregnant patients to be cautious however no longer to over-disaster [Roya Heydari/Al Jazeera]
07: 20 GMT – India’s iconic Taj Mahal closed
India closed the iconic Taj Mahal – a UNESCO World Heritage Put – to traffic from Tuesday, the tourism ministry talked about on Monday.
“All ticketed monuments and all heaps of museums rating been directed to be closed till March 31,” Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel tweeted leisurely on Monday.
Learn more right here.
The Mughal technology monument is the most visited in India with more than 7 million tourists visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Put final 12 months [Pawan Sharma/AFP]
07: 08 GMT – Coronavirus vaccine take a look at opens in the US
US researchers gave the first shot to the first particular person in a take a look at of an experimental coronavirus vaccine on Monday – main off a worldwide hunt for safety even because the pandemic surges.
Learn more right here.
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Coronavirus vaccine take a look at opens as US volunteer gets first shot |
07: 00 GMT – Swiss real warns of clinical institution collapse
Swiss hospitals could collapse if the novel coronavirus keeps spreading rapidly, a top health real warned, urging his compatriots to respect the government’s emergency measures to curb the epidemic.
“The virus is among us, now we rating got effect our utmost that it does no longer spread further. Too many are contaminated and if this goes on hospitals will collapse,” Daniel Koch, head of infectious ailments on the federal health agency, told SRF radio.
05: 00 GMT – Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson leave clinical institution for quarantine – Contributors magazine
Hollywood actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson rating been discharged from clinical institution in the Australian converse of Queensland five days after they rating been admitted with the coronavirus, Contributors magazine reported.
The couple, each and every 63, are in quarantine in a rented house.
Hanks became one among the first celebrities to tell he had been identified with COVID-19, however a set of actors, sports activities stars, and politicians rating contracted it since.
04: 20 GMT – Thailand experiences 30 novel circumstances
Thailand has reported 30 novel circumstances of coronavirus bringing its total to 177. Eleven of the 30 circumstances are linked to a boxing ring.
04: 00 GMT – China’s Xi tells Italy’s Conte more lend a hand coming
Extra clinical examiners and gives are on their technique to Italy, Chinese language President Xi Jinping told Italian Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte in a call on Monday evening.
Xi notorious that the coronavirus became a “extreme” take a look at of every and every international locations and that China acknowledged Italy’s “urgent concerns” in regards to the spread of the Illness, the Notify Council Data Put of job talked about.
Italy is the worst-affected country open air China and the epicentre of the outbreak in Europe.
China is promising to send more clinical examiners and gives to Italy [File: Cheng Tingting/Xinhua via AP Photo]
03: 20 GMT – Philippine Airlines cancels all domestic flights with quick produce
Philippine Airlines has cancelled all domestic flights with quick produce as a outcomes of the strict quarantine imposed all the absolute best intention during the island of Luzon.
Its final world flights will seemingly be done by midnight on March 20, the Inquirer reported.
03: 15 GMT – Cambodia coronavirus circumstances double to 24
Cambodia has confirmed yet every other 12 circumstances of coronavirus, the Nicely being Ministry talked about.
There are now 24 identified circumstances in the country.
03: 10 GMT – Wuhan imposes central quarantine on international returnees
Wuhan, the build the coronavirus originated leisurely final 12 months, says this might perhaps occasionally require all of us that return to the metropolis from international to utilize 14 days in a central quarantine at their maintain expense.
The metropolis’s epidemic regulate crew made the announcement on its web build of abode on Tuesday.
02: 40 GMT – Ohio to delay predominant regardless of court docket ruling
Ohio will postpone a predominant planned for Tuesday, regardless of a take hold of’s refusal to shut the election down, ensuing from of the general public health emergency precipitated by the specter of the coronavirus, Governor Mike DeWine talked about on Twitter.
“Under these unprecedented circumstances, it simply isn’t any longer likely to withhold an election tomorrow that will be regarded as legit by Ohioans,” DeWine wrote. “They mustn’t be forced to take hold of from their health and exercising their constitutional rights.”
Joint Observation from Governor DeWine and Secretary of Notify @FrankLaRose:
The simplest part more crucial than a free and shiny election is the health and safety of Ohioans. 1/5
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 17, 2020
02: 35 GMT – Brazil’s International Alternate Secretary confirmed to rating virus
Brazilian International Alternate Secretary Marcos Troyjo, who became share of the Brazilian delegation that as of late visited Florida, has tested obvious for the coronavirus, his dwelling of job talked about in an announcement on Monday.
Troyjo, who is Brazil’s deputy financial system minister, became in Miami for conferences however did no longer abet a dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump for Brazilian government leaders 9 days ago. He is exhibiting no signs and is working from his house in strict isolation, the assertion talked about.
A tourist wearing a retaining face conceal poses all over a consult with to the statue of Christ the Redeemer after experiences of coronavirus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [Ricardo Moraes/Reuters]
02: 25 GMT – Hong Kong to quarantine all arrivals from Thursday
Hong Kong will quarantine for 14 days all of us entering the metropolis starting from midnight on Thursday, chief government Carrie Lam talked about on Tuesday.
Lam also talked about it became highly unlikely colleges would resume operations on April 20, because the government told residents to lift away from all non-very crucial fling back and forth.
01: 55 GMT – Trump refers to ‘Chinese language virus’ as he stresses make stronger for US companies
US President Trump referred to COVID-19 because the “Chinese language Virus” in a tweet promising make stronger for American companies, as his administration build stress on the Senate to fling a multibillion-buck coronavirus lend a hand package deal.
The US will seemingly be powerfully supporting these industries, like Airlines and others, which could perhaps be in particular tormented by the Chinese language Virus. We’re going to be stronger than ever earlier than!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 16, 2020
The Senate is grappling over an financial stimulus invoice, the second such measure, which became passed by the Democratic-escape Dwelling of Representatives on Saturday. Beforehand, Congress passed and Trump signed an $8.3bn package deal to fight the coronavirus.
Senate Majority Chief Mitch McConnell told reporters the Senate became “anxious” to bag the latest Dwelling-passed invoice, and he hoped senators would “fling it” as soon as it arrived.
Eric Ueland, the White Dwelling legislative liaison, talked about congressional trot on the subsequent coronavirus stimulus package deal obligatory to be fleet and unimpeded by the functionality label.
01: 50 GMT – South Korea experiences fewer than 100 novel circumstances for third day
South Korea has upright given its latest updates – reporting 84 novel coronavirus circumstances, the third day in a row that the country has had fewer than 100 novel infections.
The novel numbers are properly under a February 29 top of 909, and converse the country’s total infections to eight,320, the Korea Products and services for Disease Regulate and Prevention (KCDC) talked about.
The demise toll rose by two to 81, the KCDC added.
An additional 264 patients rating been launched after recovering, bringing the total to 1,401, it added.
Clinical workers in retaining gear commence their shift at a clinical institution in Daegu, the centre of South Korea’s coronavirus outbreak [Yonhap via EPA]
01: 40 GMT – Inmates damage out of Brazil jails earlier than suspension of day-open programme
Hundreds of prisoners broke out of 4 Brazilian jails on Monday, the day earlier than the suspension of a day-open programme ensuing from of the coronavirus outbreak, Sao Paulo converse penitentiary authorities and native media reported.
The Sao Paulo converse penitentiary authority talked about it couldn’t divulge what number of inmates had escaped as it became “silent tallying the particular collection of fugitives.” Native media reported that as many as 1,000 had fled from four jails – Mongagua, Tremembe, Porto Feliz and Mirandopolis.
The Sao Paulo converse penitentiary authority talked about “acts of insubordination” had taken dwelling on the jails.
The suspension became obligatory, it added, ensuing from 34,000 convicts would be returning to penal complex and “would rating a excessive potential to put in and propagate the coronavirus in a susceptible inhabitants, producing health risks for servers and custodians.” It talked about legislation enforcement became “caring for the disaster.”
01: 10 GMT – Iceland’s standard checking out of total inhabitants
Iceland is project standard checking out of the total inhabitants with the next share of its 364,000 of us being tested for COVID-19 than anywhere else in the world.
Some 3,787 other folks rating been tested, which interprets to 10,405 per million, when put next with 5,333 in South Korea, 8,410 in Bahrain and 2,281 in Italy, the country’s International Ministry talked about in an announcement.
The authorities rating known 218 circumstances for the rationale that first case on 28 February, with three of us in clinical institution. There rating been no deaths.
Assessments conceal about half of the circumstances are among these that visited the European Alps.
“There are receive indications that our efforts to bear the spread of the virus rating been effective,” Chief Epidemiologist T horolfur Gudnason talked about. “About half of of the identified circumstances are from other folks who had been quarantined. Our center of attention is to provide protection to these most susceptible … whereas trying to effect obvious that the total spread of the virus stays gradual. We are optimistic that the blended efforts to take a look at a fat share of the inhabitants will provide insights that could make a contribution to the world’s response to this pandemic.”
Iceland is working with deCode Genetics on virus checking out and expects to take a look at 1,100 of us a day.
Its measures to tackle the virus also encompass contact-tracing, social distancing, public efforts to magnify consciousness readily on hand hygiene, and voluntary self-quarantine measures (about 1,700 of us are currently in self-isolation).
The WHO is calling on international locations to step up checking out for COVID-19 [Kelly Barnes AAP Image via Reuters]
01: 05 GMT – Venezuela to impose nationwide quarantine
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will enforce a nationwide quarantine after 16 novel circumstances rating been detected on Monday.
“It is serious, it is critical, it is the response,” Maduro talked about in an tackle on converse television.
The country began a quarantine in a handful of states, which Maduro talked about had been successful. The total collection of circumstances in Venezuela currently stands at 33.
Maduro added that the country would be receiving shipments of treatment from Cuba and retaining gear and “thousands” of take a look at kits from China. He also talked about the government would be announcing advantages for residents, without providing crucial elements.
The collapse of oil prices in the previous week – due to the a plunge in build a question to connected to coronavirus along with a label struggle between top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia – threatens to aggravate the six-12 months recession in Venezuela’s oil-dependent financial system.
00: 10 GMT – Colombia to shut all borders till Might perhaps well well also 30
Colombia’s President Ivan Duque has upright announced the country will shut all its borders – from March 17 till Might perhaps well well also 30 – in a say to live the spread of the coronavirus.
00: 00 GMT – Imported circumstances push up China numbers
China’s aggressive containment programs are conserving domestic transmission in verify, alternatively it continues to account novel imported circumstances.
Mainland China had 21 novel confirmed circumstances of coronavirus infections on Monday, the Nationwide Nicely being Fee talked about on Tuesday, up from 16 a day earlier. The central province of Hubei reported one novel case, whereas there rating been 20 novel imported circumstances.
The total collection of confirmed circumstances in China now stands at 80,881, with 3,226 dead.
The country recorded 13 deaths on Monday, 12 of them in Hubei. Of these, 11 rating been in the provincial capital of Wuhan the build the virus first emerged leisurely final 12 months.
That you just can additionally read all of the latest updates from yesterday (March 16) right here.
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