LiveUpdated
Tuesday 18 February 2020 12:05
The government is “working to organise” a flight back to the UK for British nationals quarantined on board a cruise ship off the coast of Japan over coronavirus fears.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been under pressure to fly the 74 Britons on the Diamond Princess home after the US chartered two planes and repatriated 340 of its citizens.
Meanwhile, the number of new coronavirus cases in mainland China fell below 2,000 for the first time since January and claimed another 98 lives, among them the head of a leading hospital in China’s central city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the viral outbreak.
Follow the latest updates
— Mainland China: 1,868 deaths among 72,436 cases, mostly in the central province of Hubei
— Hong Kong: 58 cases, 1 death
— Macao: 10
— Japan: 610 cases, including 542 from a cruise ship docked in Yokohama, 1 death
— Singapore: 77 cases
— Thailand: 35
— South Korea: 31
— Malaysia: 22
— Taiwan: 22 cases, 1 death
— Vietnam: 16 cases
— Germany: 16
— United States: 15 cases; separately, 1 U.S. citizen died in China
— Australia: 14 cases
— France: 12 cases, 1 death
— United Kingdom: 9 cases
— United Arab Emirates: 9
— Canada: 8
— Philippines: 3 cases, 1 death
— India: 3 cases
— Italy: 3
— Russia: 2
— Spain: 2
— Belgium: 1
— Nepal: 1
— Sri Lanka: 1
— Sweden: 1
— Cambodia: 1
— Finland: 1
— Egypt: 1
Coronavirus a ‘very dangerous situation’, UN secretary-general says
The coronavirus outbreak “is not out of control but it is a very dangerous situation,” the UN secretary-general has said.
Antonio Guterres told the Associated Press that “the risks are enormous and we need to be prepared worldwide for that.”
Minister Simon Coveney said his Department of Foreign Affairs was in contact with citizens on the Diamond Princess in Japan and the Westerdam off Cambodia.
He told RTE’s Morning Ireland: “It’s a small number though, and we’re dealing with each individual case.
“There is a second cruise ship off Cambodia, we’re working with Irish nationals on both of those ships to make sure they’re safe.
“And if they’re in quarantine, to make sure those conditions are safe.”
Coronavirus is deadlier than normal flu, study finds
The Covid-19 disease is far deadlier than the normal flu, a study by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has found.
More than 80 per cent of the cases studied were mild, with severe symptoms such as pneumonia occurring in 14 per cent of them and critical illness in 5 per cent.
The fatality rate of 2.3 per cent, which makes it deadlier than the seasonal flu, which typically has a 0.1 per cent mortality rate.
“This is both a working assumption and a credible risk,” Olivier Veran told France Info radio.
He said France was ready to deal with all the possibilities and its health system was sufficiently robust and well-equipped.
Four patients who tested positive for the virus remained in hospital in France, he added. An 80-year-old Chinese tourist died from the coronavirus in France last week, the first fatality in Europe.
The head of a leading hospital in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, has died of the disease.
Chinese state television said Liu Zhiming, the director of Wuhan Wuchang Hospital, died at 10.30am. He was the seventh health worker to fall victim.
The hospital was designated to solely treat virus-infected patients.
Another 88 passengers on board the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship have tested positive for the coronavirus, Japan’s Health Ministry has said, according to the country’s national broadcasting organisation.
Rory Sullivan:
When asked about the government’s treatment of his parents, Mr Abel described it as “appalling”. “They haven’t done anything,” he said.
“They aren’t communicating with us, the Foreign Office have my number, my wife’s number, my brother’s number, my sister’s number and they haven’t got back to us on anything and we have been calling them every day for four or five days.”
He added he could hear his father vomiting in the bathroom the last time he spoke to his mother on the phone but believed it might be due to “shock” rather than a symptom of the disease.
“The quarantine in Japan has been a failure, that is obvious, so [my parents] are obviously going to have to go through it again,” Mr Abel said.
“I would like them to go through it here where the food is more suitable for my dad.”
But he added: “I’m not actually that worried about the virus – looking at the recovery stats.
“It is more about the stress, the diet.”
Steve Abel, son of Sally and David Abel, who are being held on the Diamond Princess, said: “They are very high-spirited people.”
He added: “There are cracks in the armour and they are getting down.”
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said: “My mum breaks down in tears frequently, my dad is short-tempered.
“They are not getting any communication from our country, so they are in the dark and feeling very unloved.”
Two British passengers on quarantined cruise ship claim to test positive for virus
David Abel, who has been aboard the Diamond Princess with his wife Sally, posted on Facebook: “There is going to be a time of quiet. We have been proved positive and leaving for hospital soon. Blessings all xxx”
In a subsequent post, Mr Abel appeared to question the positive findings, saying: “Frankly i think this is a setup! We are NOT being taken to a hospital but a hostel. That’s where partners are sent waiting out there quarantine.
When asked if he was sure the test was positive, Mr Abel replied: “I doubt it was positive. If it was, we would be in hospital.”
The government has announced it is “working to organise” a flight to repatriate British nationals on board a cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan.
“Given the conditions on board, we are working to organise a flight back to the UK for British nationals on the
Diamond Princess as soon as possible,” a statement from the department said.
“Our staff are contacting British nationals on board to make the necessary arrangements. We urge all those who have not yet responded to get in touch immediately.”
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been under pressure to fly the 74 Britons on the
Diamond Princess home after the US chartered two planes and repatriated 340 of its citizens.
On Monday, Japan’s Health Ministry confirmed 99 more people on board had been diagnosed with the illness, bringing the total to 454.
Four Britons with confirmed coronavirus are currently in hospital in Japan, according to the latest official figures.
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