The total number of confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases worldwide has increased to 94,261, with the death toll reaching 3,214 and the number of recovered people reaching 51,039. The figures are up slightly more than on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th March, 2020) The total number of confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases worldwide has increased to 94,261, with the death toll reaching 3,214 and the number of recovered people reaching 51,039. The figures are up slightly more than on Tuesday. While China still accounts for most of the cases, global authorities are making new decisions on quarantine and measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
Spain, Chile, Poland, Hungary and the Faroe Islands have reported their first cases of COVID-19.
Italy's death toll from COVID-19 grew from 79 to 107 over the past 24 hours, with the total number of infected people exceeding 3,000.
Iran's number of COVID-19-infected people increased from 2,336 to 2,922, with the death toll reaching 92. Meanwhile, 552 people have already recovered.
The number of COVID-19-infected people in France rose by a fifth over the past 24 hours and currently amounts to 285.
Meanwhile, 34 new COVID-19 cases were registered in the United Kingdom, bringing the total number of infected people to 85. A Deloitte staffer in London has caught COVID-19 during his trip to Asia.
A staffer of the European Defence Agency (EDA) has tested positive for COVID-19 after a trip to Italy, EURACTIV, which is an independent media network focusing on European Union policies, reported. The EDA now intends to cancel all of its events until March 13.
A dog of a COVID-19-infected person in Hong Kong has tested positive for the disease, which means the virus is likely to be transmitted from humans to animals. All pets of coronavirus patients in Hong Kong will now be quarantined for two weeks, starting Friday.
Researchers from China's Peking University's School of Life Sciences and the Institute Pasteur of Shanghai under the Chinese Academy of Sciences have managed to identify two main strains of the virus. New studies will follow to better understand the evolution of the virus.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese medical experts have created a new COVID-19 test kit, capable of providing results just 80 minutes after sample collection.
The Italian government has decided to close schools and universities until March 15 to prevent further COVID-19 spread.
The Iranian government has requested that officials' foreign visits be canceled amid the COVID-19 outbreak until further notice. However, the measure does not apply to Foreign Ministry staffers.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pledged on Wednesday in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, that Moscow would provide necessary assistance to the country.
Egyptian authorities have temporarily banned Qatari citizens from entering the country in response to the emirate's similar move as a preventive measure.
Israel has introduced a 14-day quarantine for its citizens returning from France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Austria.
Thailand will limit officials' foreign trips and impose an obligatory 14-day quarantine for those returning from the most significantly COVID-19-afected countries, including China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy and France, the Health Ministry has announced.
The vessels of the US Navy's 6th Fleet will be placed on a 14-day quarantine after visiting any European port, CNN reported, citing US Navy officials.
Azerbaijan has temporarily restricted Iranian vessels entry to its ports, the spokesman for the national maritime agency has told Sputnik.
Kuwaiti Public Health Undersecretary Buthaina al-Mudhaf has said that a "coronavirus free" certificate will be implemented on arrivals starting from Sunday.
Canada, where 33 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded, will create a new committee to respond to the coronavirus challenge.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has canceled his March trips to Turkey, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to focus on combating the domestic outbreak of the COVID-19. South Korea, where the number of infected people has rocketed up to over 5,600 and the death toll stands at 33, will allocate an additional 11.7 trillion won ($9.8 mullion) to fight COVID-19, the country's Ministry of Economy and Finance announced.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will abstain from participating in the Holi celebrations, scheduled for Sunday, as the number of COVID-19 cases has jumped to 28. Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has announced that all the passengers of international flights will undergo tests for coronavirus.
Japan's major airlines, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airwаys, have announced reduction in domestic flights numbers amid COVID-19 spread.
US President Donald Trump has donated his salary for the fourth quarter of 2019 � $100,000 � to "contain and combat" the coronavirus, White House press secretary said.
The World Bank announced late on Tuesday it would allocate $12 billion in immediate support for COVID-19 response.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has announced that the country will start sharing information on tackling COVID-19 with nine countries, including Iran, through online video conferences.
Vinitaly, one of the world's major wine fairs, which was expected to be held in Verona in April, has been delayed to mid-June amid Italy's growing death toll.
Italy's touristic business is expected to lose around 7.4 billion euros ($8.24 billion) in the period from March 1-May 31 alone, according to the president of the national association of companies working in the sector.
The London Book Fair, scheduled for the next week, has been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Guiana Space Centre announced that zones for pubic observation of spacecraft launches at the Kourou spaceport would be closed amid COVID-19 outbreak.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has slammed media outlets for calling COVID-19 "the Chinese virus."
This is not the only example of the outbreak's influence on relations between countries. According to media reports, South Korea's Foreign Ministry has summoned Singapore's ambassador in Seoul to lodge a complaint about a blanket ban on South Koreans entering Singapore due to coronavirus concerns.
The head of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Rene Fasel, told Sputnik on Wednesday he did not consider it possible to hold the 2020 Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland, where 37 COVID-19 cases are confirmed, without spectators. Russia is ready to host the event if it needs to be moved from Switzerland, he added.
Meanwhile, Russia is taking steps to tackle fake news about COVID-19 spread in the country, with national telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor announcing that media engaged in sharing fake news will be blacklisted. International cybersecurity company Group-IB told Sputnik on Wednesday it had registered new fakes, adding that most of the bots engaged had indicated in their profiles Commonwealth of Independent States countries as their location. Law enforcement agencies were briefed on the matter.
Esperanza Martinez, the head of global health at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told Sputnik on Wednesday that the ICRC was concerned that COVID-19 may spread in conflict areas due to poor health care systems and lack of proper sanitation.
