Covid-19: WHO says window narrowing after first US death

Pakistani rescue personnel take part in drill exercise as a preventive measure for the spread of the of Covid-19, in Peshawar on Sunday (March 1) as Pakistan has detected two new cases of the virus. The chief of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the window is narrowing to contain the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak after the US, Australia and Thailand reported their first fatalities. - AFP

NEW YORK/BEIJING/TOKYO/RIYADH: The chief of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the window is narrowing to contain the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak after the US, Australia and Thailand reported their first fatalities.

There’s no need for fear and panic in the markets, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the world body, said in Riyadh on Sunday (March 1).

"While countries need to prepare for a pandemic, facts show there’s no such threat yet, he said. "We shouldn’t abandon the containment strategy because we see it’s working in some countries.”

Health officials in the US state of Washington said a man in his 50s died and in Australia, a 78-year-old man succumbed to the infection in a Perth hospital after being quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Thailand reported the death of a 35-year-old retail worker in a Bangkok suburb.

Europe and some developed countries may have some surprises like Italy, but at the same time they have strong institutions that can respond quickly, Tedros said.

"Those panicking should calm down and try to see reality," he said.

Casinos in the Chinese territory -- the world’s biggest gambling hub -- reported an 88% drop in gaming revenue in February as they grappled with cost of closing down their businesses for 15 days to help contain the spread of the disease.

The man who died in Australia was initially sent to the Howard Springs facility in northern Australia after becoming ill on the flight back home from Japan and was then moved to the hospital in Perth. His 79-year-old wife, who also tested positive for the virus, remains isolated in the hospital in a stable condition, according to a local health official.

The retail worker in Bangkok had dengue fever as well as the new disease known as Covid-19, a government official said Sunday. The patient had been hospitalized for nearly a month and died on Feb. 29 after multiple organ failure. The health ministry is still looking into the case.

NYC Gets CDC OK For Virus Testing (8:10 a.m. HK)

New York City won U.S. approval to develop its own coronavirus test and the federal government also sent new kits that will let the city perform tests without sending samples to a federal lab, Mayor Bill De Blasio said Saturday.

The city had asked the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention "for weeks” for new test kits to speed the process of identifying virus cases.

The bad news didn’t stop when markets closed on Friday. It was compounded by the first US death, a possible outbreak in Washington State and a case at Samsung that will keep a South Korean plant closed until Sunday evening.

Cases soaring there, in Italy and France.Investors counselled perspective. But markets are already down deeply, and it’s not going to look much better when they open on Monday.

In France, Health Minister Olivier Veran suggested that people refrain from the customary greeting of a peck on the cheek - known as "la bise” - to avoid spreading the coronavirus, apart from renewing an official advisory to avoid shaking hands.

Cases in France jumped to 100 on Saturday, almost double of the day before, Director General for Health Jerome Salomon said in a daily briefing earlier.

In Italy, the epicentre of the virus in Europe, two kisses -- one on each cheek -- are standard. - Bloomberg