Latest On Coronavirus

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2020) The number of coronavirus cases worldwide is going down, despite an increase in Italy. However, the worries over the economy persist.

According to the online medical community website DXY, as of 19:00 GMT, there are 46,504 cases of infection globally, which is 1,678 fewer than 24 hours ago. These numbers do not include the 18 new cases in France, announced late on Thursday.

The number of recoveries worldwide has grown in the past 24 hours by 2,826 to 33,139 cases. There have been 20 new deaths, bringing the total to 2,790.

Italy still has the highest number of cases in Europe. According to Angelo Borrelli, head of National Civil Protection Service, the number of infected reached 650 on Thursday and the number of deaths 17.

ANTI-SPREAD MEASURES AND TREATMENT

The first three patients who have been cured of the coronavirus disease in Italy were treated with anti-Ebola and anti-AIDS drugs, representatives of the Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rome told Sputnik. Meanwhile, in Japan, a woman tested positive for coronavirus for the second time after having been treated for COVID-19 and released in January, the NHK broadcaster reported.

A novel coronavirus outbreak has a pandemic potential, but the World Health Organization (WHO) is helping countries prepare for it, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday. According to Tedros, the UN health agency shipped testing kits to 57 countries and personal protective equipment to 85 countries.

Pakistan's Aviation Division decided to suspend flights to and from Iran beginning on Friday over fears of the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Geo news broadcaster reported.

US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday said he expected the Senate to approve funding for the government's response to the outbreak within two weeks.� Italy has not yet demanded any financial assistance from the European Union, but the bloc is ready to consider such a request if it appears, the European Commission's spokeswoman, Dana Spinant, said on Thursday.

The European Union will launch a monitoring program to track the impact of the novel coronavirus on the economy, European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton said Thursday, citing influence on tourism and other fields. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will likely downgrade its world economic projections in April as a result of the outbreak, IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice told reporters.

The annual Game Developers Conference scheduled to take place in San Francisco next month is moving ahead despite several cancellations. Game engine developer Unity is the latest attendee to have pulled out citing health concerns, following similar announcement by Playstation, Sony, Facebook Gaming, and Kojima Productions.

The spread of the novel coronavirus could disrupt more than the conference � Jefferies Financial Group reportedly suggested earlier in February that game launches worldwide could be postponed since a number of major game studios either have offices in China or outsource some of the tasks. Japan's Nintendo said earlier this month there would be delays to production and deliveries of its Switch console.�