More new daily virus cases outside China than inside: WHO

20:20, February 26, 2020

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  New COVID-19 cases outside China exceed those in China: WHO

  The number of COVID-19 cases outside China has surpassed those inside the country for the first time, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced.Iranian women wear protective masks to prevent contracting the coronavirus, as they walk at Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, February 20, 2020. (Photos: CGTN)South Korea reported the largest jump in new cases yet on Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 1,766. South Korea and U.S. militaries announced that they were postponing their annual joint drills on Thursday, due to concern about the viral outbreak that has already infected one U.S. soldier stationed at Camp Carroll near Daegu, the epicenter of South Koreas outbreak.In a span of 24 hours, new COVID-19 cases were announced in Denmark, Romania, Norway, Georgia, North Macedonia and Greece. And outside Europe, Algeria, Brazil and Pakistan also reported their first coronavirus infections on Wednesday.The Brazilian case marked the arrival of the virus in Latin America, which brings the number of infected people to more than 80,000 globally in about 40 countries.Italy and beyondThe number of coronavirus cases in Italy has jumped to 470 and 12 deaths have been reported at the time of writing. The worst-affected areas are in the industrial north of the country, Lombardy, the region around Milan, and Veneto near Venice.Government officials have sought to ease public anxiety, and assured steps were being taken to prevent the spread of the disease.The rise in Italy, the main focus of infection in Europe, represents a 25 percent surge in 24 hours.Several other European countries have reported their first coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours – many of these are linked to people who have been to Italy.Denmark confirmed its first coronavirus infection in a man who recently returned from a ski holiday in the Lombardy region in northern Italy, the Danish Health Authority said on Thursday.On Wednesday, a second person suffering from coronavirus ...

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  COVID-19 cases climbing faster outside China for first time: WHO

  Bruce Aylward, Team Lead WHO-China joint mission on COVID-19, speaks to the media about the COVID-19 after returning from China. (Photo: Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone)Brussels (People’s Daily) -- The number of new COVID-19 cases officially reported outside China has overtaken those reported by Beijing for the first time since the outbreak began, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday."Yesterday, the number of new cases reported outside China exceeded the number of new cases in China for the first time," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told diplomats in Geneva.According to figures provided by WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib, the number of new COVID-19 cases around the world on Tuesday was 427, while new cases reported by Beijing was 411.“The latest figures on new infections suggest Beijing’s strict response to the crisis is paying off,” commented The Guardian, a British daily newspaper.Bruce Aylward, who headed a WHO-backed expert mission to China, hailed the drastic quarantine and containment measures taken by Beijing, saying the country had "changed the course" of the outbreak. But he told reporters in Geneva that other nations were "simply not ready."Tourists wear protective face masks as they walk in Venice. (Photo: Andrea Merola/Bloomberg)The outbreak of the new coronavirus strain COVID-19 is continuing to worsen as cases are reported across Europe. The number of cases in Italy jumped by almost 100 in one day to more than 400, while the death toll rose to 12 since last Friday, Reuters reported.Croatia, Austria and Switzerland reported their first cases on Tuesday, while Greece and Norway reported their first on Wednesday.It is reported that there is public panic in some European countries. Some people have reacted as if they were under bombardment in the Second World War, and rushed to buy face masks. In the north of Italy, face masks have now all but sold out in pharmacies."This is a situation of conc...

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  S.Korea confirms 231 more cases of COVID-19, 833 in total

  Local residents take an escalator in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. South Korea confirmed 231 more cases of the COVID-19 on Monday, raising the total number of infections to 833, and the death toll rose to eight. The country raised its four-tier virus alert to the highest "red" level on Sunday as the viru