Africa sees its first case
Egypt's health ministry on Friday confirmed the first case of the coronavirus in Africa. The ministry described the person as a foreigner but did not disclose the nationality. It said it had notified the WHO, and the patient had been placed in isolation in a hospital. Experts had earlier warned that it may not be long before the first case was confirmed in Africa, given its increasingly close ties to China.Chinese health workers die in the outbreak
Chinese officials say six health workers have died. Zeng Yixin, vice minister of China's National Health Commission, said 1,102 medical workers had been infected in Wuhan and another 400 in other parts of Hubei province. "The duties of medical workers at the front are indeed extremely heavy; their working and resting circumstances are limited, the psychological pressures are great, and the risk of infection is high," Mr Zeng said, as quoted by Reuters news agency. Local authorities have struggled to provide protective equipment such as respiratory masks, goggles and protective suits in hospitals in the area. On 7 February, the plight of medical workers was highlighted by the death of Li Wenliang, a doctor at Wuhan Central Hospital who had tried to issue the first warning about the virus on 30 December. He had sent out a warning to fellow medics but police told him to stop "making false comments". A wave of anger and grief flooded Chinese social media site Weibo when news of Dr Li's death broke.What are the other developments?
- In the UK, health officials contacted hundreds of people who attended a conference in London, after it emerged that one of them was diagnosed with coronavirus - China said it would stagger the return of children to school - several provinces have closed schools until the end of February - In Vietnam, which borders China, thousands of people in villages near the capital, Hanoi, have been put under quarantine after several cases were discovered. Vietnam has now confirmed at least 16 cases - The Red Cross has called for sanctions relief for North Korea, which would allow the aid agency to transfer funds to buy equipment. Testing kits and protective clothing are urgently needed to prepare for a possible outbreak, it saysDISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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