The head of the WHO says, "Now is a time to pull out all the stops", this is very serious business, despite what Trump says.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COVID-19: Here's what's happening around the world Friday
Iran reports 124 deaths and 4,747 cases, says COVID-19 now in all 31 provinces
The number of people infected with the novel coronavirus charged toward 100,000 Friday, with the global scare upending routines, threatening livelihoods and prompting quarantines.
Asian shares were down following a rough day on Wall Street and the consequences of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, were becoming clear to people around the world. Halted travel and a broader economic downturn linked to the outbreak threatened to hit already-struggling communities for months to come.
"Who is going to feed their families?" asked Elias al-Arja, the head of a hotel owners' union in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where tourists have been banned and the storied Church of the Nativity shuttered.
The head of the UN's food agency, the World Food Program, warned of the potential of "absolute devastation" as the outbreak's effects ripple through Africa and the Middle East.
Across the West, there was a sense of déja vu as the virus's spread prompted scenes that already played out in Asia, with workers foregoing offices, vigorous sanitizing in public places and runs on household basics. Even the spectacle of a cruise ship ordered to stay at sea off the California coast over virus fears replicated ones weeks ago on the other side of the globe.
Signs of the virus's shift away from its origins in China were becoming clearer each day.
China reported 143 new cases Friday, the same as a day earlier and about one-third what the country was seeing a week ago. Just a month ago, China was reporting several thousand new cases a day, outnumbering infections elsewhere in the world about 120 to 1. The problem has now flipped, with the outbreak moving to Europe — where Italy, Germany and France had the most cases — and beyond.
Here's what's happening in Canada
Health officials in B.C. are investigating after a woman who had no travel history to areas dealing with a coronavirus outbreak and hadn't been in contact with COVID-19 patients tested positive for the illness. The woman in her 50s visited her doctor with flu-like symptoms, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Thursday.
Henry told reporters Thursday that the woman with no travel history to an affected area is one of
eight new cases in the province.
Alberta announced its
first presumptive case on Thursday, the same day that health officials in Ontario reported
three new cases.
Quebec, which had two confirmed cases as of Thursday, reported a
third presumptive case on Friday in a person who had travelled to France.
Meanwhile, in eastern Ontario a group of Canadians who spent weeks under quarantine — first on a cruise ship in Japan and then at a conference centre in Cornwall, Ont. — are expected to be
allowed out of isolation today.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his decision not to close Canada's borders to foreign nationals coming from countries where the outbreak is spreading.
Several countries have banned travellers from those countries, but Trudeau said Thursday Canada is taking its lead from the WHO, which has advised against the application of travel or trade restrictions to countries dealing with COVID-19 cases.
more...
