5^th March, 2020

1. Italy has shut down schools.

After effects: It will have ripple effects: rise in child care costs for parents, suppliers would lose out on cafeteria food orders, babysitters and nannies in flux, and loneliness and tech defects for kids in online classes.

2. A scar for ex-Diamond Princess passengers: even for those without symptoms, as their friends ghost them, neighbours ignore them and strangers intimidate them.
3. Los Angeles County has declared a state of emergency: six new cases have been confirmed there, and the U.S. death toll has reached 11.
4. Cluster effect: A cluster of the virus grew in New York; officials have guaranteed to disinfect the subway regularly.
5. Italy has surpassed 3,000 cases and 100 deaths

Effect: population of six crore, 100 deaths, mortality 3.3 % like that of Wuhan city

6. French officials discouraged customary cheek-kiss greeting

Effect: Another No contact policy

7. Britain has seen a steep rise to 85 cases, up from 51 on Tuesday.
8. Everyone is eyeing Holi now, India’s major festival that draws crowds across the country, after the cases surged to 29.

(NY Times)

9. Around 95 countries and territories have enforced restrictions that limit travel between their regions and South Korea, with 36 bans on South Korean citizens.
10. Italy: People are in lockdown in the "red zone" of the outbreak. This includes 10 towns in the Lombardy region (1,520 cases) and one in Veneto, reported the health ministry. Schools and universities have been closed and public events canceled in the affected areas; officials are considering to extend the shutdowns nationwide.
11. Iran: Friday prayer gatherings have been canceled in all provincial capitals. Schools and universities have been shut down and public gatherings, such as concerts and sport events, have been canceled.

(NPR)

North America

• 1 new death in Washington state.
• 1 new death in Placer County, CA (this is the first death in California): an elderly with underlying health conditions.
• 12 new cases in Washington state: 10 in King County, 2 in Snohomish County
• 9 new cases in New York state: This includes 5 cases in Westchester County; 1 case - an attorney in his 50s in critical condition at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, has an underlying respiratory condition. The case is being speculated as the citys first case of community spread; 1case- a student at Yeshiva University
• 12 new cases in California: 6 in Los Angeles County; LA County declares state of emergency; 2 in Orange County in Southern California: a man in his 60s and a woman in her 30s with history of recent travel to countries that have widespread reports of COVID-19; 1 in Contra Costa County in Northern California; 3 in Santa Clara County in Northern California.
• 1 new case in Texas: in Fort Bend County

EUROPE

• 1 new case in Croatia.
• First case in Slovenia: a person traveling Morocco via Italy.
• 4 new cases in Ireland
• 587 new cases and 28 new deaths in Italy - Total: 3,089 cases and 107 deaths

Among 2,706 active cases, 1,344 (50%) are hospitalized with 295 (11% of active cases) being in intensive care. Among the 383 closed cases, 276 (72%) have recovered, 107 (28%) have died.

All schools and universities in Italy have been closed until March 15 in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus.      

• First 2 cases in Hungary: two Iranian students who are asymptomatic but have been transported to St. Laszlo Hospital.
• 22 new cases in Sweden: in Stockholm, Värmland, Västra Götaland, Örebro county and in Skåne.

The risk of an outbreak in Sweden is considered as moderate. All cases in Sweden have been linked to recent travel abroad (import case) or contact with a confirmed import case.  Swedens Public Health Agency has expanded its list of regions in Italy where recent travelers should be vigilant about possible symptoms to include Aosta Valley, Liguria, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Tuscany.      

• 63 new cases and 1 new death in Spain.
• 59 new cases in Germany
• 73 new cases in France
• 36 new cases in the UK: around 29 were infected abroad.
• 23 new cases in Norway: several related to outbreaks abroad, mainly in Italy.
• 12 new cases in Iceland: 6 new cases, 2 had come from Verona in northern Italy, 2 had traveled from Austria through Munich, 2, a male and a female in their 60s, also returned from Verona, Italy through Munich. They have traditional flu symptoms, and are not very sick.
• 2 new cases and 1 new recovery in Romania. The first of the new cases, asymptomatic, is the 16-years-old nephew of the 47-year-old man from Timisoara diagnosed with coronavirus yesterday.
• 15 new cases in the Netherlands
• 5 new cases in Denmark, including the first in the Faroe Islands: a man who had attended a conference in Paris and returned on Feb. 24.
• 5 new cases in San Marino, total rose 15, of which 3 (aged 81, 80, and 76 years old) are in critical condition
• 3 new cases in the Czech Republic: 2 are relatives of an infected case in Děčín, 1 is a woman from Prague.
• 2 new cases in Greece: one who had traveled to Israel and Egypt, is hospitalized in Patras. Second case is the husband of the previously confirmed case.      
• 10 new cases in Belgium, 9 of which returned from northern Italy and are now isolated at home. 1 patient, who had not traveled but is a contact of a previous case who had traveled to Venice, developed a more severe respiratory infection and was admitted to the Saint-Pierre hospital in Brussels.
• The European Defense Agency (EDA) in Brussels confirmed that one of its employees has tested positive after returning from a trip to Italy, where the official had a meeting with around 30 officials from other EU institutions. EDA has canceled all scheduled meetings at its premises until March 13.
• 1st case in Poland: a person who came from Germany, now hospitalized in Zielona Góra (Lubusz Voivodeship), in good condition. All contacts have been placed into home quarantine.
• 2 new cases in Portugal: a 44-year-old man who had travelled to Italy and is hospitalized at the São João Hospital, in Porto, in stable condition; a woman in her 40s who had also traveled to Italy and is hospitalized in Lisbon.
• 35 new cases in Switzerland
• 2 new cases in Belarus, total rises to 6 - 4 in Minsk and 2 in the Vitebsk Region. More than 5,000 tests have been carried out
• 2 new cases in Scotland (UK)

MIDDLE EAST

• 1 new case in the United Arab Emirates: a 16-year old girl in Dubai
• 1 new case in Saudi Arabia: a Saudi citizen who had traveled to Iran
• 3 new cases in Oman: 1 Omani citizen, 2 Iranian citizens.
• 2 new deaths and 3 new cases in Iraq
• 2 new cases in Lebanon
• 3 new cases in Bahrain, total in the country rises to 52, including 1 recovery.
• 586 new cases, 15 new deaths, and 117 new recoveries in Iran
• 3 new cases in Israel: one of the patients returned from Italy; all three have been quarantined.

      AFRICA

• 2 new cases in Senegal
• 9 new cases in Algeria, bringing the total in the country to 17

AMERICAS

• 1 new case in Chile: the wife of the first case
• 1 new case in Brazil (São Paulo)
• 3 new cases in Ecuador: all relatives of a previously identified case.
• 3 new cases in Canada (British Columbia)

OCEANIA

• 1 new case in New Zealand
• 1 new death in Australia (NSW): a 95-year old woman. This is the 2nd death in Australia. 11 new cases including: 2 in South Australia: a 40-year old woman who had travelled to Iran and a 24-year old woman; 1 in Northern Territory: a 52-year-old tourist currently in isolation in Royal Darwin Hospital; in Queensland: a 26-year old man from Logan who had traveled to Iran.

ASIA

• 2 new cases in Singapore.
• 2 new cases in Hong Kong: a 43-year-old man, a “master” of a Buddhist worship hall in North Point, where 16 people were infected previously; a 57-year-old female domestic help of two previously confirmed patients.
• 38 new cases in Japan
• 14 new cases in Malaysia: all associated with a local cluster linked to case #26; 21 out of the 50 cases have been linked to this cluster: 16 close contacts and 5 secondary contacts.
• 22 new cases in India, including a group of 15 Italian tourists
• 119 new cases, 38 new deaths (37 in Hubei) and 2,652 new discharges occurred in China on March 3, as reported by the (National Health Commission (NHC) of China).
• 435 new cases and 2 deaths in South Korea: including an 86-year-old woman.

(https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/)

Dr KK Aggarwal

President CMAAO, HCFI and Past National President IMA