2024 RT Amination Banner.gif

China Daily

Asia Pacific> Asia News> Content
Saturday, March 07, 2020, 23:18
Philippines to declare emergency, Iranian MP dies from virus
By Reuters
Saturday, March 07, 2020, 23:18 By Reuters

Pedestrians wearing face masks, amid concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, walk through the Myeongdong shopping district of Seoul on March 6, 2020. ( ED JONES / AFP)

SEOUL / CAIRO / HANOI / MANILA - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte plans to declare a nationwide public health emergency following confirmation of the country’s first community transmission of the disease, the presidential aide said on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, the nation’s health officials said the new coronavirus recorded its first case of local transmission, and called for measures to contain its spread.

Philippines has six confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus. The sixth case, a 59-year-old woman, is the wife of the fifth case, a 62-year-old Filipino male who tested positive for COVID-19 previously.

The health ministry declared a code red alert which calls on medical professionals to be prepared to report for duty. 

Iranian MP dies from coronavirus

An Iranian lawmaker has died from coronavirus, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.

The number of deaths caused by coronavirus infections in Iran rose by 21 over the past 24 hours to reach 145 on Saturday, a health ministry official said.

The number of people testing positive for the virus increased by more than 1,000 over the past 24 hours, reaching 5,823 on Saturday.

South Korea tally 7041, toll 49 

South Korea confirmed 274 more cases of the COVID-19 on Saturday, raising the total number of infections to 7,041, after its health authorities reported 174 new infections earlier in the day.  

Five more deaths were reported, lifting the death toll to 49.

Thirty-six patients were in critical conditions, raising a possibility for the fatality increase. The fatality rate from the virus here stood at 0.7 percent.

Ten more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, raising the combined number to 118.

4 confirmed infections in Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s health ministry said on Saturday that the number of confirmed case of coronavirus in the country had jumped to four.

“Three positive cases of coronavirus have been registered in western Herat province of Afghanistan,” Wahidullah Mayar, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health told Reuters, adding that of the 36 cases tested in Kabul, 33 had come back negative.

Kuwait suspends flights to and from seven countries

Kuwait recorded three new cases of coronavirus, bringing its infection tally to 61.

Kuwait suspended on Saturday all flights to and from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Bangladesh, Philippines, India, and Sri-Lanka for a week starting on Saturday, Kuwait’s civil aviation directorate said in a tweet.

Kuwait also banned entry of anyone who has been in the seven countries in the last two weeks except for Kuwaitis coming from the seven countries, who will be allowed entry but will have to submit to quarantine procedures, the civil aviation directorate added.

Saudi Arabia limits arrivals from UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain

Saudi Arabia limited on Saturday land crossings with the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain to commercial trucks only, with arrivals from the three countries temporarily limited to three airports as a precaution taken over the spread of the coronavirus, Saudi news agency SPA reported.

The Saudi ministry of sports announced on Friday it will suspend public attendance at all sports events until further notice starting Saturday, a statement from the ministry reported.

Qatar reports 12th infection

Qatar also reported its 12th case of the virus, a Qatari national who had visited Iran, its health ministry said.

A woman, wearing a facemask amid concerns of the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, checks her smartphone outside a shopping mall in Hanoi on March 3, 2020. (MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP)

US raises travel alert levels for Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan

Neither country has reported many cases but both border Iran, which has been hard hit by the coronavirus. The US State Department slapped a travel advisory warning on Iran last month, urging Americans not to travel there.

Iraq reports 8 new cases, puts France & Spain into entry ban 

Iraq reported eight new coronavirus cases on Friday, 5 in Baghdad, 2 in Sulaimaniya and one case in Karbala, state news agency reported quoting health ministry.

Iraq reported a death by coronavirus in the city of Karbala, bringing total death count by coronavirus to three in the country, state news agency reported on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, Iraq banned entry to travelers coming from France and Spain, bringing the total number of countries on its entry ban list to 11.

ALSO READ: Iran has 1,000-plus infections in 1 day, Bhutan bans foreign tourists

Vietnam cases rise to 20 

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health on Saturday confirmed three new coronavirus case, raising the total number in the Southeast Asian country to 20.

READ MORE: Japan eyes special legislation as COVID-19 cases top 1,000

One of the new cases, a 27-year-old patient who had been to the South Korean city of Daegu, returned to Vietnam on a Vietjet flight on Wednesday and was quarantined upon his landing, the ministry said in a statement.

New Zealand confirms 5th case

The case involves a New Zealand citizen in her 40's, the partner of the third case announced earlier this week, Director-General of Health Dr. Ashley Bloomfield told a press conference.

A cigarette and hookah seller wearing a protective mask looks through the front of his store in Kuwait City on March 5, 2020. (YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)

Australian clinic closes after doctor tests positive for coronavirus

Australian health authorities said on Saturday they had closed a clinic and were contacting around 70 patients of a doctor who has been diagnosed with coronavirus after recently returning from the United States.

The Melbourne-based general practioner returned to Australia on Feb. 29.

UAE discovers 15 new virus cases

United Arab Emirates discovered late on Friday 15 new coronavirus cases, the health ministry announced in a statement.

The statement added the total number of cases in UAE now stands at 45 cases, and two more cases have been cured which brings the total number of cured people to seven.

First Cambodian tests positive for coronavirus

The first Cambodian has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

The 38-year-old man was one of four people tested because he had direct contact with a Japanese visitor who later tested positive for the virus, Health Ministry spokesman Or Vandin told a news conference.

The Japanese man had left Cambodia from Siem Reap, close to the ancient Angkor Wat temple, one of the region’s top tourist attractions.

Cambodia had earlier reported a virus infection in a Chinese man. He recovered and went home.


With Xinhua inputs 

Share this story

CHINA DAILY
HONG KONG NEWS
OPEN
Please click in the upper right corner to open it in your browser !