Coronavirus spreads quickly but stigma is more dangerous: WHO

GENEVA / BEIJING (Reuters) – Coronavirus now seems to spread much faster outside of China than inside but can still be contained, and stigma is more dangerous than disease itself, said the World Health Organization on Monday.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said nearly nine times more cases had been reported outside of China than inside of the country in the past 24 hours, adding that the risk of spreading coronaviruses was now very high "globally".

He said epidemics in South Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan were the biggest concern, but that there was evidence that close surveillance was working in South Korea, the country most affected outside of China, and the epidemic could be contained there.

“To be honest, stigma is more dangerous than the virus itself. Really emphasize that. Stigma is the most dangerous enemy, "he said at a press conference in Geneva.

He said the fight against the coronavirus should become a bridge for peace, congratulating the United States for its support in sending medical aid to Iran despite the tensions between them.

"I think we now have a common enemy," he said.

The death toll worldwide has exceeded 3,000, with the death toll in Italy rising from 18 to 52 and Latvia, Saudi Arabia and Senegal reporting cases for the first time.

Still, stock markets have surged after their worst plunge since the 2008 financial crisis last week, encouraged by the prospect of government action to stem the economic impact.

Finance ministers of the G7, a group of major industrialized democracies, were to discuss measures during a conference call Tuesday, sources told Reuters.

Oil prices jumped 4% in hopes of a deeper reduction in production by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

(Graphic: Coronavirus monitoring here )

MORE THAN PLANNED

A senior American official said he was concerned about a likely increase in the number of cases in the United States, which recorded more than 90, with six deaths.

"When you have a number of cases that you have identified and that they have been in the community for some time, you will end up seeing many more cases than you would have expected," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the Infectious Disease Unit at the National Institutes of Health in the United States, told CNN.

South Korea killed 26 people and reported 599 other infections on Monday, bringing its toll to 4,335.

Among the new cases in South Korea, 377 came from the city of Daegu, which is home to a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, to which most of the South Korean cases were found after some members had visited the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the disease emerged.

The Seoul government has asked prosecutors to open an investigation into the murder of church leaders. Seoul mayor Park Won-soon said that if founder Lee Man-hee and other church leaders had cooperated, the deaths could have been averted.

Lee knelt down and apologized to the country, saying that a church member had infected many others and calling the epidemic a "great calamity" ". "We did our best, but we couldn't stop the spread of the virus," Lee told reporters.

It was not immediately known how many dead in South Korea were members of the church.

"THE EPIDEMICS ARE RETRACTED"

But Wuhan himself, at the center of the epidemic, has closed the first of 16 specially constructed hospitals that were quickly set up to deal with coronavirus cases, said Chinese public television channel CCTV.

The number of new cases has also dropped sharply in Hubei, Wuhan province, but China has remained alert for those returning home with the virus from other countries.

The virus erupted in Wuhan at the end of last year and has since infected more than 86,500 people, mainly in China.

On Sunday, only eight cases were reported in China beyond Hubei, the WHO said.

Outside of China, at the same time, more than 60 countries now have cases, with more than 8,700 people infected and more than 100 deaths.

One of the most affected countries, Iran, has reported infections reaching 1,501, with 66 deaths, including a senior government official. As stocks of gloves and other medical supplies are low in pharmacies, authorities have discovered a supply of supplies, including millions of gloves.

In Britain, which has 40 confirmed cases, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people to prepare for a further spread.

ECONOMIC DAMAGE

Factories around the world were hit in February by the epidemic, with activity in China declining at a record pace, according to surveys, which opens up the prospect of a coordinated political response from central banks. .

The epidemic has forced the postponement of festivals, exhibitions, trade fairs and sporting events and damaged tourism, retail sales and global supply chains, especially in China, the world's second largest economy. .

Middle Eastern airlines have so far lost about $ 100 million due to the epidemic.

An official with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said airlines risk losing $ 1.5 billion this year due to the virus and urged governments to help them.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has warned that the epidemic is plunging the global economy into its worst recession since the global financial crisis, urging governments and central banks to respond.

(This story corrects to say almost nine times more cases reported outside of China than inside, and not vice versa, in the second paragraph)