SHANGHAI: China reported the fourth death from a new coronavirus on Tuesday as the number of cases continued to rise, sending jitters through Asian markets as hundreds of millions of Chinese prepared to travel for the Lunar New Year holiday.
Health authorities around the world stepped up screening and the World Health Organization called a meeting on Wednesday to consider declaring an international health emergency, as China confirmed the virus spread through human contact.
Asian shares fell as investors likened the outbreak to the 2002/2003 spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), another coronavirus which broke out in China and killed nearly 800 people in a global pandemic.
“Because of Chinese New Year, millions of people will make a move to their hometown across China which is making the whole situation uncontrollable,” said Margaret Yang, an analyst at brokerage CMC Markets in Singapore, referring to the Chinese holiday period which formally begins on Friday.
“The selloff is just the beginning, we will see more in days to come.”
The number of known cases more than tripled on Monday to 223, mostly in the central city of Wuhan where the outbreak began but also in Beijing and Shanghai, Chinese officials said. There were also two in Thailand, one in Japan and one in South Korea.
A fourth person died on Jan. 19, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said on Tuesday. The 89-year-old man, who had underlying health issues including coronary heart disease, developed symptoms on Jan. 13 and was admitted to hospital five days later, it added.
Australia on Tuesday said it would screen passengers on flights from Wuhan, while Singapore announced it would quarantine individuals with pneumonia and a history of travel to Wuhan within 14 days before the onset of symptoms.
So far, the WHO has not recommended trade or travel restrictions but such measures could be discussed at Wednesday’s emergency meeting.
Wuhan officials have been using infrared thermometers to screen passengers at airports, railway stations, and other passenger terminals since Jan. 14. Airport authorities in the United States, as well as most Asian nations, also are screening passengers from Wuhan.
Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy, however, said recent evidence indicated body-temperature screening was ineffective and created a false sense of security.
https://www.omanobserver.om/ministry-says-keenly-following-coronavirus-in-china/
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