CORONA Main Coronavirus thread

Tom McDowell

Tom McDowell

BAMN
jward said:
China Daily
@ChinaDaily
4m

Eleven transport aircraft of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, including six large, domestically developed Y-20 planes, headed a massive operation to send 1,400 medics and supplies from seven cities to Wuhan, Hubei province. #coronavirus #COVID19 #PLA #China
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1229273281682755584
View: https://twitter.com/ChinaDaily/status/1229273281682755584?s=20
Click to expand...

Take a look at the photos, they've masked the interior of the Y-20 with photoshop.

EQ8_P0NUYAAmvRd
EQ8_QOEU4AAD0zG


===

.
 
Ragnarok

Ragnarok

On and On, South of Heaven
Shooter said:
been gone all weekend, gun show, did peretty good,but no one was saying anything, had a box of N95 masks on the table, several looked and pointed, some just stared for a moment, but no one asked, but from the looks, guns and ammo were really moving, sold one person 2,000 45 acp. and another guy 700 30-06. cleaned me out of that,

I have a friend who came and sat with me awhile at the show, he is in management at a local large airport, said last week a private plane landed. all perfectly legal, but, said the feds met it. and a ambulance took away 3 chineese men, all the workers in that area are really pissed because no one will tell them anything,
Click to expand...

You had a box of masks on the table and NO ONE tried to buy it????????
 
Ractivist

Ractivist

Pride comes before the fall.....Pride month ended.
naegling62 said:
Not to argue but the CDC said specifically they were not going to try to contain but manage the virus. They lost the containment window when they refused to pay attention to the seriousness of the Chinese secondary response. In my opinion it's as if they intentionally let the virus get a foot hold in the Contenital USA. They have mishandled this just as they mishandled the HIV situation. They are inept.

Your opinion is noted and may be the correct one in the long run .
Click to expand...
Inept is one instance, multiple instances as we are seeing for people who should know better, who know the gravity of the situation, who repeatedly missmanage quarantines does lend itself to the concern this is intentional and is Georgia Guidestone material. Quarantining lots of people together, is no quarantine at all for the individual. Those ships are a prime example. Leave em be long enough, everyone is infected. Put everyone into large areas with beds and open space, everybody gets sick. These folks flown in and behind fences together? It's a joke. The New Jersey cruise boat incident where ten chinese folks were removed symptomatic, and everyone let go three days later? Seriously?

This is not inept, this is intentional. Just as they quarantined the illegals coming in. Put them all in large rooms together for days, let the third world diseases spread amongst them, and then bus them around the country. We have seen the results of that.

I suspect there are thousands of people about to get sick, then tens of thousands, then hundreds of thousands....then millions.....all in two week increments or so.... it's about to get real dicey for those who love freedom and understand the globalists mentality, the end justifies the means. They've stated their goals on those guide stones..........they have a target they wish to reach. This is just the start in regards to mans inhumanity to man. I shake my head, and the spirit responds. Pray up, prep up. As the twitter threads are waking up, so will your neighbors. Won't be long before the panic sets in.

Should we start a poll. I'd say two weeks, going on three. Trumps address to the union on this could impact that date.
 
O

OldArcher

Has No Life - Lives on TB
L.A.B. said:
Yes Sir OldArcher, and my friend the silversmith has already picked out a nice fast saddle picked out for our midnight ride.

One if by airframe
Two if by sea
Three if by glass globes deployed via LEOrbit
Four if by domestic terror types
Five if by foreign agents
Six if by NGO’s
Seven if by demented tech-company leaders
Eight if by Big Pharma
Nine if by False Flag Treason from within
Ten if it’s just our time and ‘Hey Let’s Roll’

It a special calling. The challenge of differentiation 1 to 10 candles across great distances LOL.
Click to expand...

Yer right poetic, Sir! Yuh definitely got talent! Thank-Yuh!

OA
 
P

Pinecone

Has No Life - Lives on TB
jward

jward

passin' thru
Daphne K. Lee is a journalist based in Taipei and an editor for The News Lens International. She's a perpetual traveler who finds story ideas while roaming the planet.

Taiwan Expands Virus Screening After Suspected Community Transmission

Daphne K. Lee 2020/02/17


What you need to know
Taiwan has seen the first suspected community-transmitted case of the coronavirus. To prevent community spread, Taiwan has expanded its screening measures to include any individuals with foreign travel history in the past 14 days.

A taxi driver with no known history of traveling to China has died on Saturday due to complications from the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19), marking the first such death in Taiwan, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung announced.
The deceased, a 61-year-old man who had diabetes and hepatitis B, could be the first case of community transmission in Taiwan, according to the health minister. His younger brother was also confirmed infected last week without showing symptoms. '

Chen said this case of local transmission has yet to constitute a “community spread,” which would mean a serious escalation of public health risks. Signs of a community spread include a sustained chain of infection, the number of local transmission cases surpassing that of the imported ones, which have not occurred in Taiwan, he said.
“We’re hoping to find out the source of the contraction as soon as possible,” Chen said at a press conference on Sunday.
During the Lunar New Year holiday, the taxi driver had picked up three Taiwanese businesspeople who returned home from China and Hong Kong, according to the Central Epidemic Control Center (CECC). The CECC has tracked down these three passengers, who have previously sought medical help due to symptoms of respiratory infection.

“We can say Taiwan is now seeing local transmission, but it hasn’t broken our safety net yet, and this might be an isolated case with only a few people infected,” said Dr. Huang Li-min, a professor at the Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at National Taiwan University.
To prevent community spread in Taiwan, the CECC has expanded its screening measures to include any individuals with foreign travel history (including Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and other countries) in the past 14 days or anyone who has had contact with foreign travelers with a fever or respiratory symptoms. Clusters of cases of fever, pneumonia or respiratory symptoms will also be monitored.
“We can’t place all our bets on border control; we also have to establish a strong community safety protocol and prevent our medical workers from being infected,” Dr. Huang said.
mj4nppnf8hnwsy6xwzk4ie4hcbbbke.png

Credit: Johns Hopkins CSSEChina reported a spike in the number of new coronavirus cases on Thursday, February 13.
Taiwan has reported 20 cases of Covid-19 to date. The new coronavirus has infected over 71,300 worldwide and killed 1,775, mostly in China. Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, has reported a drop in the number of new cases. The dip follows a spike last week when the government started diagnosing new cases with CT scans rather than just test kits.

READ NEXT: Why Taiwan Handles Coronavirus Outbreak Better Than Singapore
TNL Editor: Jeremy Van der Haegen (@thenewslensintl)

Taiwan Expands Virus Screening After Suspected Community Transmission - The News Lens International Edition

international.thenewslens.com international.thenewslens.com
 
O

OldArcher

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Freeholder

Freeholder

This too shall pass.
Back a few pages, along with the daily timeline which jward posted, there was a graph showing case rates and death rates. It is, of course, based on official figures. But if you want to get a better grasp of the seriousness of this illness, remember that today’s deaths were people who got sick - were added to the reported cases - two to three weeks ago. Now go back and look at that graph again. Mentally slide the point for current deaths back two to three weeks, and compare it with THAT case rate, rather than today’s case rate. Makes it a little more concerning, doesn’t it? Someone suggested a sixteen percent death rate, comparing officially recovered cases to the official death rate.

Re: the bodies laid out on the sidewalk to be picked up. Are there any figures on the normal death rate? Because surely people are still dying of other causes, as well as this virus. But that was very alarming.

The buildings being nailed shut are also alarming. Are those people just being shut in to die? How do they get food? It looks like it may be possible to escape from some of the buildings, but others have securely barred windows....

Kathleen
 
N

northern watch

TB Fanatic
Vincent Lee‏Verified account @Rover829 5m5 minutes ago

Reuters: A top legislative body of the Chinese parliament will meet on Feb. 24 to discuss a proposal on delaying the key annual March meeting of parliament, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
recall that Zhejiang province might be worth watching, as it began to allow transportation (public) again, and Singapore is considered to have high recording and reporting standards and thus may be of use. . . j

Tracking coronavirus: Map, data and timeline

The tables below show confirmed cases of coronavirus (2019-nCoV, officially known as SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) in China and other countries. To see a distribution map and a timeline, scroll down. There are currently 71,355 confirmed cases worldwide, including 1,775 fatalities.
We need your help:

Last update: 17 February 2020 at 2:15 a.m. ET
MAINLAND CHINACasesDeathsNotesLinks
Hubei province
(includes Wuhan)		58,1821,6968,024 serious, 1,773 criticalSource
Guangdong province1,322460 serious, 30 criticalSource
Henan province1,2461635 serious, 33 criticalSource
Zhejiang province1,171048 serious, 25 criticalSource
Hunan province1,006357 seriousSource
Anhui province973612 criticalSource
Jiangxi province930138 seriousSource
Jiangsu province62606 serious, 4 criticalSource
Chongqing551537 serious, 13 criticalSource
Shandong province541216 serious, 14 criticalSource
Sichuan province495315 criticalSource
Heilongjiang province4571173 seriousSource
Beijing381410+ seriousSource
Shanghai331114 serious, 4 criticalSource
Tianjin1253Source
Other regions2,21515Source
TOTAL70,5521,77010,644 serious
10,844 recovered
7,264 suspected
REGIONSCasesDeathsNotesLinks
Hong Kong5715 critical, 2 serious, 1 recoveredSource
Taiwan2012 recoveredSource
Macau1001 recoveredSource
TOTAL8727 serious
INTERNATIONALCasesDeathsNotesLinks
Japan434*19 serious, 17 recoveredSource
Singapore7505 critical, 19 recoveredSource
Thailand3502 serious, 15 recoveredSource
South Korea30010 recoveredSource
Malaysia2208 recoveredSource
Australia15010 recoveredSource
Germany1603 recoveredSource
Vietnam1607 recoveredSource
United States1503 recoveredSource
France1214 recoveredSource
United Kingdom908 recoveredSource
Canada801 recoveredSource
UAE901 serious, 3 recovered Source
Philippines312 recoveredSource
India303 recoveredSource
Italy302 seriousSource
Russia202 recoveredSource
Spain202 recoveredSource
Nepal101 recoveredSource
Cambodia101 recoveredSource
Sri Lanka101 recoveredSource
Finland101 recoveredSource
Sweden10Source
Belgium101 recoveredSource
Egypt10Source
TOTAL716319 serious/critical
Notes
  • Hubei province, China: The numbers include clinically-diagnosed cases, which means they were not confirmed by laboratory testing.
  • Japan: The total includes 4 asymptomatic cases, which are not included in the government’s official count.
  • Japan: The total includes 369 people from the “Diamond Princess” cruise ship. They are not included in the government’s official count. Fourteen of those are Americans whose test results came in while they were being evacuated from the ship.
  • North Korea: Unconfirmed reports about 1, 5, or 7 cases in North Korea cannot be verified. If cases are confirmed by the North Korean government, they will be added to this list.
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
Timeline (GMT)
17 February
  • 07:14: 4 new cases in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. (Source)
  • 06:55: 14 new cases in Japan. They are Americans whose test results came in while they were being evacuated from the “Diamond Princess” cruise ship off Yokohama. This raises the ship’s total to 369. (Source)
  • Fourteen of those are Americans whose test results came in while they were in the process of being evacuated.
  • 05:30: 1 new case in Thailand. (Source)
  • 03:04: 1 new case in Tianjin, China. (Source)
  • 02:51: 1 new case in Japan. (Source)
  • 02:35: 1 new case in Japan. (Source)
  • 01:15: 6 new cases and 2 new deaths in Guangdong province, China. The deaths were previously disclosed by China’s National Health Commission. (Source)
  • 01:11: 4 new cases in Zhejiang province, China. (Source)
  • 01:08: 5 new cases in Jiangxi province, China. (Source)
  • 01:00: 1 new case in South Korea. (Source)
  • 01:00: 9 new cases in Jiangsu province, China. (Source)
  • 00:59: China’s National Health Commission reports 34 new cases and 2 new deaths across the mainland, excluding Hubei province. Their locations have not yet been disclosed. Compared to yesterday’s national update, there were 115 new cases and 5 new deaths outside Hubei province. (Source)
  • 00:44: 2 new cases in Hunan province, China. (Source)
  • 00:43: 1 new case in Beijing. (Source)
  • 00:30: 11 new cases in Anhui province, China. (Source)
  • 00:29: 14 new cases in Sichuan province, China. (Source)
  • 00:24: 15 new cases and 3 new deaths in Henan province, China. (Source)
  • 00:09: 4 new cases in Shandong province, China. (Source)
16 February
  • 23:58: 12 new cases in Heilongjiang province, China. (Source)
  • 23:39: 3 new cases in Shanghai. (Source)
  • 22:50: 4 new cases in Chongqing, China. (Source)
  • 22:48: 1,933 new cases and 100 new deaths in Hubei province, China. (Source)
  • 19:30: 1 new case in the United Arab Emirates. (Source)
  • 12:50: 3 new cases in Singapore. (Source)
  • 11:01: 2 new cases and 1 new death in Taiwan. (Source 1, Source 2)
  • 10:29: 1 new case in Japan. (Source)
  • 10:22: 5 new cases in Japan. (Source)
  • 09:20: 1 new case in Hong Kong. (Source)
  • 07:05: 2 new cases in Tianjin, China. (Source)
  • 07:00: 3 new cases in Chongqing, China. (Source)
  • 02:15: 5 new cases in Beijing. (Source)
  • 02:10: 13 new cases in Jiangsu province, China. (Source)
  • 01:35: 70 new cases in Japan. They were found on the “Diamond Princess” cruise ship off Yokohama, raising the ship’s total to 355. (Source)
  • 01:24: 12 new cases in Jiangxi province, China. (Source)
  • 01:22: 12 new cases in Anhui province, China. (Source)
  • 01:20: 3 new cases and 1 new death in Hunan province, China. The death was previously reported by China’s National Health Commission. (Source)
  • 01:18: 5 new cases in Zhejiang province, China. (Source)
  • 01:13: 22 new cases in Guangdong province, China. (Source)
  • 01:05: 2 new cases in Shanghai. (Source)
  • 01:01: 1 new case in South Korea. (Source)
  • 00:55: 1 new case in Tianjin, China. (Source)
  • 00:53: China’s National Health Commission reports 100 new cases and 1 new death on the mainland, excluding Hubei province. Their locations have not yet been released. Compared to yesterday’s national update, there were 166 new cases and 3 new deaths outside Hubei province. (Source)
  • 00:44: 20 new cases in Heilongjiang province, China. (Source)
  • 00:41: 11 new cases and 2 new deaths in Sichuan province, China. (Source)
  • 00:10: 19 new cases in Henan province, China. (Source)
  • 00:06: 5 new cases in Shandong province, China. (Source)
15 February
  • 23:07: 6 new cases in Chongqing, China. (Source)
  • 22:15: 1,843 new cases and 139 new deaths in Hubei province, China. (Source)
  • 20:34: 1 new case in France. (Source)
  • 15:55: 1 new case in Malaysia. Former passenger of the Westerdam cruise ship. (Source)
  • 13:01: 5 new cases in Singapore. (Source)
  • 12:15: 1 new case in Japan. (Source)
  • 10:07: 2 new cases in Shandong province, China. (Source)
  • 10:06: 1 new case in Chongqing, China. (Source)
  • 10:05: First death in France, first in Europe. (Source)
  • 09:05: 8 new cases in Japan. (Source)
  • 08:47: 67 new cases in Japan. They were found on the “Diamond Princess” cruise ship off Yokohama, raising the ship’s total to 285. (Source)
  • 07:03: 2 new cases in Japan. The third case in the article was previously reported. (Source)
  • 06:05: 1 new case in Thailand. (Source)
  • 05:19: 2 new cases in Malaysia. (Source)
  • 04:30: 3 new cases and 1 new death in Beijing. The death was previously reported by the National Health Commission. (Source)
  • 04:18: 1 new case in Tianjin, China. (Source)
  • 03:18: 1 new case in Japan. (Source)
  • 02:33: 7 new cases in Sichuan province, China. (Source)
  • 02:25: 7 new cases in Shandong province, China. (Source)
  • 02:20: 11 new cases in Jiangsu province, China. (Source)
  • 02:02: 13 new cases in Jiangxi province, China. (Source)
  • 02:00: 16 new cases in Anhui province, China. (Source)
  • 01:55: 13 new cases in Hunan province, China. (Source)
  • 01:52: 7 new cases in Zhejiang province, China. (Source)
  • 01:51: 28 new cases in Henan province, China. (Source)
  • 01:04: 33 new cases in Guangdong province, China. (Source)
  • 00:10: China’s National Health Commission reports 193 new cases and 3 new deaths on the mainland, excluding Hubei province. Their locations have not yet been disclosed. When compared to the previous day, there were 221 new cases and 4 new deaths outside Hubei province. (Source)
14 February
  • 23:45: 8 new cases in Shanghai. (Source)
  • 23:35: 7 new cases in Heilongjiang province, China. (Source)
  • 23:30: 5 new cases in Chongqing, China. (Source)
  • 23:10: 2,420 new cases and 139 new deaths in Hubei province, China. (Source)
  • 21:10: 1 new presumptive confirmed case in BC, Canada. (Source)
  • 17:00: First case in Egypt. (Source)
  • 14:03: 1 new case in Japan. (Source)
  • 14:00: 1 new case in Japan. (Source)
  • 13:54: 1 new case in Japan. (Source)
  • 13:50: 1 new case in Japan. (Source)
  • 11:05: 9 new cases in Singapore. (Source)
  • 10:09: 2 new cases in Japan. (Source)
  • 09:15: 3 new cases in Hong Kong. (Source)
  • 08:47: 3 new cases and 1 new death in Chongqing, China. (Source)
  • 08:02: 4 new cases in Shandong province, China. (Source)
  • 07:51: 1 new case in Japan. (Source)
  • 03:25: China’s National Health Commission reports 267 new cases and 5 new deaths on the mainland, excluding Hubei province. Hubei Province deducted 108 prior deaths from the death toll due to double counting. (Source)
  • 00:43: 1 new case in Japan. (Source)
13 February
  • 23:45: 4,823 new cases and 116 new deaths in Hubei province, China. 1,043 cases which were previously reported were deducted from the government’s figures. (Source)
  • 14:50: 3 new cases in Hong Kong. (Source)
  • 15:10: 1 new case in the United States. First in Texas. (Source)
  • 12:40: 1 new case in Japan. (Source)
  • 11:55: 1 new case, a fatality, in Japan. This is the first death in Japan. (Source 1)
  • 11:36: 8 new cases in Singapore. (Source)
  • 11:15: 1 new case in Japan. (Source)
  • 10:13: 1 new case in Malaysia. (Source)
  • 09:05: 1 new case in Japan. (Source)
  • 08:15: China’s National Health Commission reports 312 new cases and 12 new deaths on the mainland, excluding Hubei province. (Source)
  • 05:15: 1 new case in Vietnam. (Source)
  • 03:10: 44 new cases in Japan. They were found on the “Diamond Princess” cruise ship off Yokohama, raising the ship’s total to 218. (Source)
  • 00:25: 1 new case in California, United States. (Source)
12 February
  • 23:48: 14,840 new cases, including clinically diagnosed cases, and 242 new deaths in Hubei province, China. (Source)
  • 18:53: 1 new case in the United Kingdom. (Source)
  • 08:24: 1 new case in Hong Kong. (Source)
  • 07:00: 3 new cases in Singapore. (Source)
  • 02:53: 1 new case in Japan. It is one of the quarantine officers who was working on board the “Diamond Princess” cruise ship off Yokohama. This case is not included in the total for the ship’s passengers and crew. (Source)
  • 02:14: China’s National Health Commission reports 377 new cases and 3 new deaths across the mainland, excluding Hubei province. The deaths were in Henan province, Hunan province, and Chongqing. (Source)
11 February
  • 23:55: 39 new cases in Japan. They were found on the “Diamond Princess” cruise ship off Yokohama, raising the ship’s total to 174. (Source)
  • 22:17: 1,638 new cases and 94 new deaths in Hubei province, China. (Source)
  • 21:01: 1 new case in Thailand. (Source)
  • 19:25: 2 new cases in Germany. (Source)
  • 16:10: 7 new cases in Hong Kong. (Source)
  • 14:59: 2 new cases in Singapore. (Source)
  • 06:57: 2 new cases in Japan. (Source)
  • 02:37: 1 new case in Vietnam. (Source)
  • 01:14: 1 new case in California, United States. (Source)
  • 01:00: 1 new case in South Korea. (Source)
  • 00:13: China’s National Health Commission reports 370 new cases and 5 new deaths on the mainland. Of the deaths, one each in: Beijing, Tianjin, Heilongjiang province, Anhui province, and Henan province. (Source)
For the full timeline, click here.
Chart
2122020charts-1024x683.png



Related Topics:2019-20 outbreak of coronavirusChinafeatured

bnonews.com

Tracking coronavirus: Map, data and timeline

The table below shows cases of coronavirus (officially known as SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, or 2019-nCoV) around the world. Each figure is verified by our team through local health departments or local media. A distribution map and a timeline with a list of recent updates can be found below the table...
bnonews.com bnonews.com
 
Heliobas Disciple

Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
www.scmp.com

China postpones year’s biggest political event amid coronavirus outbreak

March’s ‘two sessions’ will be delayed amid the Covid-19 epidemic, which has killed more than 1,700 people.
www.scmp.com www.scmp.com
(fair use applies)

China postpones year’s biggest political gathering amid coronavirus outbreak
Gary Cheung and William Zheng
Published: 3:49pm, 17 Feb, 2020
  • March’s ‘two sessions’ will be delayed amid the Covid-19 outbreak
  • One source says risk of proceeding with gathering is too high
China’s annual parliamentary meeting, that was scheduled for early March, has been postponed, apparently because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The state news agency Xinhua reported that the standing committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) would discuss the delay later this month – effectively indicating that it would be postponed.

No specific reason for the delay was given, but a mainland source who is familiar with the preparations said the risks of going ahead with the annual sessions of the NPC and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress (CPPCC) – commonly known as the “two sessions” – were too high.

“The health risk of convening the annual sessions early next month would be too high when the coronavirus outbreak has not yet been effectively contained,” the source said.

“The risk of cross infections would be very high for nearly 8,000 people … as well as staff responsible for administering the meetings, under the same roof of the Great Hall of the People,” the source said.

The NPC has 2,980 deputies while the CPPCC has 2,158 delegates.

The CPPCC was originally scheduled to open on March 3 while the NPC was scheduled to start on March 5. Both events last for about 10 days.

Wu Junfei, deputy director of the Tianda Institute, a think tank in Hong Kong, said the postponement would signal Beijing’s determination to tackle the outbreak, adding that it would be “much better internally and internationally” to wait until the World Health Organisation determined that the outbreak was no longer an international public health emergency.

Wang Jiangyu, director of the centre for Chinese and comparative law at City University in Hong Kong, said the “two sessions” was mainly an occasion to formalise the political leadership’s agenda.

“There is no major urgent political agenda for now, pushing [it] back for a month or two will have no material impact. Everything has to give way to fighting the epidemic.”

A spokesperson from the NPC Legislative Affairs Commission told Xinhua that deferring the March meeting would allow government officials to concentrate on controlling the Covid-19 outbreak, which has killed more than 1,700 people.

The spokesperson said one third of the national legislators were also local government officials who are currently working to stop it spreading.

The upcoming NPC Standing Committee meeting on February 24 will also consider a motion banning the wildlife trade and eradicating the habit of eating wildlife.

The Politburo Standing Committee has said earlier this month that resolute efforts should be made to crack down on illegal wildlife markets and trade, which researchers have blamed for playing a key role in transmitting the virus that causes the disease to humans.

On Friday President Xi Jinping also called for stronger legislation to protect wildlife.
 
Heliobas Disciple

Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
www.dailymail.co.uk

340 Americans flee Diamond Princess on evacuation flights to US

Two planes evacuating 340 Americans from cruise ship Diamond Princess, which has been quarantined in Japan amid a coronavrius outbreak, have landed back in the US.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk
(fair use applies)

MANY PICTURES AT LINK

Fourteen US cruise passengers among nearly 400 flying back from Japan are placed in ISOLATION chambers on board charter aircraft after it emerged they had tested positive for coronavirus days earlier - as first plane touches down in California
By Keith Griffith For Dailymail.com and Afp
Published: 23:59 EST, 16 February 2020 | Updated: 03:23 EST, 17 February 2020
  • Two evacuation flights from Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan were inbound to the US late on Sunday
  • Nearly 400 Americans chose to return to the US to spend a further two weeks under military quarantine
  • 14 of them had tested positive for coronavirus days earlier and were put in isolation units on charter aircraft
  • One plane is heading to Travis AFB in California and other will land at Kelly AFB in Texas
  • Some Americans refused the State Department charter flights and remain aboard the Diamond Princess
  • Meanwhile the coronavirus death toll in Chinese epicenter tops 1,700 and new cases rise
Fourteen people who had tested positive for the new coronavirus are among nearly 400 US citizens and family members evacuated by plane from a quarantined ship in Japan, the US State Department said Monday.

The passengers had already disembarked from the Diamond Princess and were preparing to return to the United States on chartered aircraft when US officials were informed 14 of them who had been tested days earlier were positive for COVID-19, it said in a joint statement with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

After consultation with HHS, the State Department decided to allow them onboard, but separated them from the other passengers in special isolation chambers ahead of the transfer to Air Force bases in California and Texas.

'These individuals were moved in the most expeditious and safe manner to a specialized containment area on the evacuation aircraft to isolate them in accordance with standard protocols,' it said.

'During the flights, these individuals will continue to be isolated from the other passengers.'

All passengers were being closely monitored throughout the flights.

'Any who become symptomatic will be moved to the specialized containment area, where they will be treated,' the statement said.

The first flight is due to land shortly at a US Air Force base in California, where all passengers will undergo 14 days quarantine, while a second plane is heading to another base in San Antonio, Texas.

More than 600 people are already in quarantine in the United States, evacuated earlier from the virus epicenter in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.

The two planes filled with the coronavirus evacuees are set to land on American soil in the early hours of Monday, one at Travis AFB in California and one at Kelly AFB in Texas.

After remaining in isolation aboard the Diamond Princess since the beginning of the ship's outbreak on February 3, the weary evacuees will spend another 14 days under military quarantine at the two bases, which are among 11 designated by the Pentagon for isolation of potential coronavirus cases.

Though most of the Americans aboard the ship agreed to board the flights for an additional two-week quarantine in the U.S., they did so discouraged and frustrated, since most had believed that they would be able to walk free from the Diamond Princess when the ship quarantine is lifted on Wednesday.

'It's like a prison sentence for something I did not do,' passenger Karey Mansicalco told CNN from her cabin. 'They are holding us hostage for absolutely no reason.'

Some 44 Americans from the Diamond Princess who tested positive for coronavirus were required to remain in Japan for treatment.

'On cargo plane. You cannot Imagine. Crazy or worst dream ever,' wrote American evacuee Gay Courter on Facebook after boarding one of the flights at Tokyo International Airport.

'Huge windowless B-747 cargo plane with some seats bolted in. Destination unknown at this time,' her husband Philip wrote.

Americans from the Diamond Princess who did not show symptoms were not required to board the evacuation flights, and some refused, furious that they would have to spend another 14 days in military quarantine just as the cruise ship quarantine was set to be lifted on February 19.

'My health is fine. And my two-week quarantine is almost over. Why would I want to be put on a bus and a plane with other people they think may be infected when I have spent nearly two weeks isolated from those people?' tweeted Matt Smith, an American lawyer on the ship with his wife.

He described a fellow American passenger standing on her balcony chanting 'USA, USA' as buses arrived to collect them.

'Of course, in contravention of the rules of quarantine, she's not wearing a face mask, and she's talking with a passenger on the adjacent balcony... And you wanted me to get on a bus with her?'

However, the State Department warned that anyone from the Diamond Princess who did not take the evacuation flights would be 'unable to return for the United States for a period of time' determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Other nations are preparing to follow suit in removing their citizens from the Diamond Princess, as global concerns grow over the spread of coronavirus and the death toll at its Chinese epicenter tops 1,700.

More than 70,500 have been infected across China by the COVID-19 virus as the world battles to contain the outbreak that has sparked panic buying and jitters over the global economic impact.

Outside China, the biggest cluster of infections is on the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Yokohama, where coronavirus cases have climbed quickly to 355 despite passengers being confined to their cabins during a 14-day quarantine.

And amid growing criticism of Japan's handling of the ship, governments are scrambling to repatriate their citizens, with Canada, Australia, Italy, Israel and Hong Kong poised to follow Washington's lead.

In the early hours of Monday morning, a convoy of buses driven by people in head-to-toe protective suits removed American passengers from the ship after a makeshift passport control.

There were no health checks at that point, said US passenger Sarah Arana, a 52-year-old medical social worker, who said the US government should have acted 'much sooner, at the beginning.'

'I am happy and ready to go,' Arana told AFP before leaving the ship. 'We need a proper quarantine. This was not it.'

The US embassy in Japan confirmed two jets had left Japan en route to the US. Those on board were expected to undergo a further 14-day quarantine period on US soil.

In China, authorities have placed about 56 million people in Hubei and its capital Wuhan under quarantine, virtually sealing off the province from the rest of the country in an unprecedented effort to contain the virus.

New cases outside the epicentre have been declining for the last thirteen days. There were 115 fresh cases outside the central province -- sharply down from nearly 450 a week ago.

Chinese authorities have pointed to the slowing rise in cases as proof their measures are working to stem the spread, even as the death toll climbed to 1,770.

But World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned it is 'impossible to predict which direction this epidemic will take'.

And concerns remain about the global transmission, especially on cruise ships which appear to have become especially virulent breeding grounds.

Fears are growing for passengers on the Westerdam cruise ship, who all received a clean bill of health when they disembarked in Cambodia -- a staunch ally of Beijing.

One of the passengers was stopped by authorities in Malaysia over the weekend when she was detected with a fever and later diagnosed with the virus. There were more than 2,200 passengers and crew on the ship when it docked in Sihanoukville, many of whom have now dispersed around the globe.

With tourism battered and global supply chains disrupted by the virus, experts are fretting about the toll it could take on a fragile global economy.

IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said there could be a cut of around 0.1-0.2 percentage points to global growth but stressed there was 'still a great deal of uncertainty.'

Japan, one of the hardest-hit countries outside China irrespective of the Diamond Princess, suffered its biggest economic slump in more than five years -- even before the coronavirus crisis.

Gross domestic product in the world's third-top economy shrank an eye-watering 1.6 percent in the three months to December -- a much bigger contraction than economists had feared.
 
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Same story from CNN, with their predictable spin:

www.cnn.com

The US is finally evacuating Americans from the Diamond Princess. Here's why that's made them mad | CNN

The US plan to evacuate Americans and their families from the Diamond Princess cruise ship appears, on its face, to be the case of a powerful government coming to the aid of its most vulnerable citizens.
www.cnn.com www.cnn.com
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The US is finally evacuating Americans from the Diamond Princess. Here's why that's made them mad
By Mick Krever, Matt Rivers, Sandi Sidhu and Will Ripley, CNN
Updated 10:52 PM ET, Sun February 16, 2020
US evacuates Americans on quarantined cruise ship

The US plan to evacuate Americans and their families from the Diamond Princess cruise ship appears, on its face, to be the case of a powerful government coming to the aid of its most vulnerable citizens.

But the decision has prompted anger from some exhausted passengers, who believe the move could actually set back their ability to return to normal life -- just as that option was within their grasp.

Thousands of people have been stuck in their cabins under mandatory quarantine aboard the Diamond Princess, which is docked off the Japanese port city of Yokohama, since February 3. With 356 confirmed cases of coronavirus on board, 70 of which were announced Sunday, the ship has the largest concentration of novel coronavirus cases outside mainland China. On February 19, the controversial quarantine period was set to finally end.

Until Saturday, the US government seemed on board with that plan. The consensus among government agencies, which had been communicated to the more than 400 Americans aboard, was that remaining on the ship for the quarantine period was the best course of action.

Most passengers weren't thrilled but accepted the plan.

On Saturday afternoon, the US Embassy in Tokyo sent a notice to Americans on board the Diamond Princess laying out plans to evacuate nearly 400 Americans back home.

Once there, another 14 days of mandatory quarantine would begin. Anyone who chose not to get on the flight would have to wait another 14 days in Japan to ensure they were symptom-free before returning to the US.

That decision has prompted anger among the American passengers, with many demanding answers to two simple questions about the US response: Why did the American government wait so long to make the about-face decision? What prompted such a dramatic shift in US policy?

'Financially and emotionally devastating'

The Japanese government has begun testing everyone on board for the virus, starting first with those over 80, now those over 70, and eventually everyone. From February 19, staggered disembarkations will begin.

But American passengers who are evacuated will not be part of that process.

"From tragedy to comedy to farce," tweeted American passenger Matthew Smith, pulling no punches. "The US government instead wants to take us off without testing, fly us back to the US with a bunch of other untested people, and then stick us in 2 more weeks of quarantine? How does that make any sense at all?"

Those who decide not to board the flight will still have to spend two weeks in Japan before being able to head home, because the American government says that it won't accept the Diamond Princess quarantine as proof that someone is virus free.

For Karey Mansicalco, who owns a real estate company in Utah, the news yanked freedom from her hands at the 11th hour.

"It's like a prison sentence for something I did not do," she told CNN from her cabin. "They are holding us hostage for absolutely no reason."

Mansicalco said another two weeks away from home would cost her upwards of $50,000. "It is financially devastating as well as emotionally devastating. I was in tears when I got the news and ... I did not have the words to explain how I felt. And now I just feel angry," she said.

The evacuation also puts the family of Americans who have tested positive for the virus in a tough spot. There are 46 Americans who have tested positive and anyone who has the virus or is showing symptoms won't be able to board the chartered flight.

"We are spinning out of control again," said Kent Frasure, whose wife Rebecca tested positive last week and was moved to a Tokyo hospital. "I would not get on a flight without Rebecca."

A failed quarantine?

One reason the passengers are so upset is because, as early as last week, experts had been questioning the Japanese government's decision to quarantine people on the ship.

"I don't understand why they have to be kept on a ship," said Peter Hotez, of the Baylor College of Medicine. "We're employing what I call 14th-century approaches and ethics to individuals with transmissible disease."

The abrupt change in US policy led some to believe that Washington lost faith in the effectiveness of the Japanese response. Earlier this week, it emerged that some 1,000 crew on board the ship had not been kept in quarantine, eating meals together with masks off and working side by side.

The American move has put pressure on other governments with citizens on board the ship to respond.
Rose Yerex, a Canadian who along with her husband has struck a decidedly positive tone throughout the quarantine, could not hold back her anger on Saturday.

"It really kind of shows the difference here between the two countries," she said. "So, hey, congratulations to you guys who are Americans and you are getting to leave. Your government is supporting you, ours isn't."

On Sunday, the Canadian government announced its own evacuation plan. The Hong Kong government also announced Sunday that it was arranging a chartered flight to bring home residents free of charge as soon they were permitted to disembark.

But perhaps worst off are the Diamond Princess crew.

After some crew members issued desperate pleas for help, Princess Cruises told them on Saturday that once all passengers had left the ship, they would have to endure their own 14-day quarantine.
"It is disappointing for all of us," said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises.

On Sunday, Princess Cruises announced it would cancel voyages aboard the Diamond Princess through April 20 because of the prolonged quarantine period.

Customers with questions about their itineraries are being asked to consult the Itinerary Modifications and Cancellations page on the company's website.

"We ask that you please minimize calling our call center for itinerary change information as we work through all the travel changes and subsequent impacts on itineraries. Thank you for your patience and understanding," the company tweeted.
 
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Several drugs against COVID-19 already in clinical trials: official - Global Times

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Several drugs against COVID-19 already in clinical trials: official
Source:Xinhua Published: 2020/2/16 13:45:08

Several antiviral drugs have been applied in clinical trials against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and some have shown fairly good clinical efficacy, according to an official Saturday.

Chinese researchers have narrowed down their focus to a few existing drugs, including Chloroquine Phosphate, Favipiravir and Remdesivir, after multiple rounds of screening, said Zhang Xinmin, director of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development under the Ministry of Science and Technology, at a press conference on the new virus.

In vitro experiments have shown that Chloroquine Phosphate, an antimalarial drug which has been widely used for many years, can effectively inhibit the novel coronavirus infection.

It is now under clinical trials in more than 10 hospitals in Beijing and Guangdong, which enrolled a total of over 100 patients. Clinical trials on the drug will also be launched in central China's Hunan Province soon, Zhang said.

The preliminary clinical results show that Chloroquine Phosphate is quite effective in treating novel coronavirus pneumonia, he said.

Favipiravir, an influenza drug available on overseas markets, has been put in a clinical trial in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, with 70 patients enlisted, he said.

The initial outcome of the trial shows the drug has relatively obvious efficacy and low adverse reactions.

"Three to four days after treatment, the group that takes the drug has a significantly higher turning-negative rate in the viral nucleic acid than the parallel group," he said.

Remdesivir is developed against Ebola infections by Gilead Sciences, an American pharmaceutical company. It has shown fairly good antiviral activity against the novel coronavirus at the cellular level.

The China-Japan Friendship Hospital and the Institute of Materia Medica under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences have been authorized to conduct a clinical trial on the drug in over 10 hospitals in Wuhan, the center of the epidemic in central China's Hubei Province.

"Next, we will make timely recommendations on the COVID-19 treatment according to the results of these clinical trials," Zhang said.

According to him, the researchers scanned more than 70,000 drugs or compounds through computer simulations and in vitro enzyme activity tests, and selected 5,000 potentially effective drug candidates.

Then they were tested at the cellular level against the common coronavirus infection, and about 100 drugs were chosen for further experiments, which helped to select the final drugs for clinical trials, Zhang said.

The most urgent scientific research task is to improve the cure rate and reduce the mortality, which rely on effective clinical treatments, he noted.

New products and technologies have been adopted to treat severe and critically ill patients, a key approach to reduce mortality, and some have achieved good clinical effects, he said.

One of the recent progresses is the development of convalescent plasma. It is processed from the plasma collected from recovered patients, which contains a large amount of protective antibodies.

So far, a total of 11 severe patients from several hospitals in Wuhan have received the convalescent plasma therapy, with all their clinical indicators getting better and no obvious adverse reactions.

Clinical studies on the stem cell therapy, which can inhibit the overreaction of the body's immune system, have also been carried out to treat severe patients, he added.

A cause of death for severe and critically ill patients infected with the COVID-19 is "cytokine storm", which is an overreaction of the immune system, according to Zhou Qi, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

"We are also searching for existing drugs that can curb the appearance of cytokine storm, including drugs against rheumatism. Some of the drugs that are proven effective at the cellular level have been applied in clinical trials," Zhou said at the press conference.

A trial has been conducted on 14 severe or critically ill patients aged up to 82 in an affiliated hospital of the University of the CAS, and the results appeared encouraging, Zhou said.

"Now, a multicenter, randomized, parallel-group clinical trial is underway. If the initial results show a drug is effective, we may speed up the process and provide severe patients with effective treatments as soon as possible," he added.
 
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