(Bloomberg) — Hubei, the Chinese province at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, reported 1,933 new cases, slightly higher than a day earlier, and 100 additional deaths.
While the head of a Wuhan hospital said a turning point has been reached as new cases fell over the weekend, the outlook was more cautionary outside the country. The head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said the outbreak is on the verge of a global pandemic if containment steps fail to show more success.
Deaths were reported in France and Taiwan over the weekend. The U.S. evacuated some passengers from a cruise ship in Japan, where 355 people have the coronavirus.
New Developments
LATEST: Hubei adds 1,933 new cases, up from 1,843 a day earlierHubei deaths rise by 100, bringing total China fatalities to at least 1,765China, Asia Bulk Up Economy Defenses Against Virus Ahead of G-20
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U.S. in Contact With Malaysia Over Westerdam Case (7:42 a.m. HK)
The U.S. State Department said Sunday it’s in “close contact” with Malaysian authorities after an 83-year-old American woman fell ill with the coronavirus a day after leaving a cruise ship that showed no signs of the illness.
The woman was aboard the Westerdam, which over two weeks at sea was turned away by five different ports before docking late last week in Cambodia. Passengers were screened during the trip and all results were negative. A spokesperson for the State Department said because the ship was at sea for the required 14-day quarantine, passengers were free to travel after they left.
The woman, who hasn’t been identified, flew to Malaysia then showed symptoms of the virus. Malaysian authorities confirmed a positive test and the woman was taken to a hospital.
The U.S. doesn’t have “sufficient evidence” to determine when she may have been exposed or where, said the spokesperson.
U.S. officials are paying close attention to several cruise ships at sea during the onset and spread the virus, the spokesperson said.
Hubei Province Reports 100 New Fatalities (6:54 a.m. HK)
China’s Hubei reported 1,933 additional confirmed cases for Feb. 16, taking the total case count in the province to 58,182, Hubei’s health commission said in a statement.
The death toll in the province rose by 100 to 1,696, while 6,639 patients have been discharged.
U.S. Evacuates Cruise Passengers From Japan (6:42 a.m. HK)
A pair of aircraft chartered by the State Department have taken off from Tokyo to bring back home Americans evacuated from a cruise ship in Japan, according the U.S. embassy’s website.
The passengers will be kept in quarantine for 14 days, separate from other travelers who, because they visited China, are isolated at the U.S. bases.
More than 40 U.S. citizens infected by the virus aboard the Diamond Princess will stay behind in hospitals. A total of 355 people on the Carnival Corp. cruise have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Canada is using a chartered plane to repatriate Canadians from the ship. Hong Kong also plans to send a plane for its nationals.
Virus to Cause ‘Demand Shock’ for Copper (4:30 p.m. NY)
Disruptions from the coronavirus and other “significant” knock-on effects will lead to a full-year demand loss for copper of 300,000 metric tons, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said in an analysis that assumes the outbreak is contained to the first quarter.
Disruptions at smelters could reduce production, partially offsetting the impact of declining demand.
Read the full story here.
Briton on Ship Feels ‘Forgotten’ (4:15 p.m. NY)
The U.K. is ignoring British citizens trapped on the quarantined Diamond Princess in Japan as other nations charter aircraft for evacuation flights, one passenger said in a video posting.
David Abel, traveling with his wife, Sally, said passengers on the ship docked in Yokohama are aware that the U.S., Canada and Italy are flying their citizens home. Passengers are getting despondent, he said.
“Every country, except the U.K., has become involved and that is really wonderful,” he said in a video message on YouTube. “Can I just tell you, U.K., how this makes me really feel? It feels that we have been forgotten, that you don’t really care about us and that you’re actually not wanting us to come home.”
Abel said the couple is confined to the cabin and wear a mask when they open the door. They’ve been interviewed by British TV during the ordeal. He said fewer than 80 Britons are on the ship.
Separately, Australia is considering plans to bring back its citizens this week, and a decision could be made as soon as Monday, Australian Associated Press said.
The ship, with 355 ill passengers, is the largest infection cluster outside China.
China, Asia Bulk Up Against Virus (3 p.m. NY)
China, Hong Kong and Singapore are pledging extra fiscal stimulus to counter the economic hit from the coronavirus.
China will enact more-efficient stimulus measures, including lower corporate taxes. Hong Kong faces “tsunami-like” shocks that may lead to a record budget deficit. Singapore, which is losing as many as 20,000 tourists a day to travel curbs, will get a “strong” package of budget measures this week.
Malaysia Says Westerdam Passengers Negative for Virus (9:42 a.m. NY)
Six passengers who were quarantined after arriving in Malaysia from the Westerdam cruise ship in Cambodia have tested negative for the virus, Malaysia’s health ministry said. The two Americans and four Dutch nationals arrived on a flight with an 83-year-old woman who tested positive for the coronavirus twice after arrival.
Taiwan Victim Worked as Taxi Driver (9:23 a.m. NY)
The deceased was a taxi driver, Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control said in a statement late Sunday. He carried three passengers returning to Taiwan from China, Hong Kong and Macau, who later visited doctors for respiratory symptoms. CDC is tracking the three people and all close contacts of the man who died.
Hospital Head Says Coronavirus Turning Point Reached (8:45 a.m. NY)
The turning point for the novel coronavirus epidemic has been reached and the number of new outbreaks is declining, the state-run China Central Television reports, citing Wang Xinghuan, head of Wuhan Leishenshan Hospital.
The number of people with a fever has been sliding steadily and has never rebounded, Wang was cited as saying.
Some Positive Economic Signs From Epidemic, Xinhua Says (8:05 a.m. NY)
The novel coronavirus epidemic had some temporary impact on China’s economy but won’t overwhelm it, the official Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary on its website. The Chinese economy is a sea, not a small pond, it said.
Taiwan Confirms First Death From Coronavirus (6:13 a.m. NY)
Taiwan reported the first death from coronavirus on Sunday, and added two more confirmed cases, bringing the total to 20, according to a statement from the country’s Centers for Disease Control via text message. The man in his 60s had a history of hepatitis B and diabetes, the CDC said in a statement on its website. He went to the hospital on Feb. 3 with shortness of breath and died from pneumonia and sepsis on Feb. 15.
–With assistance from Abeer Abu Omar, Ryan Beene, Dong Lyu and Jing Jin.
To contact the reporters on this story: Steve Geimann in Washington at [email protected];Karen Leigh in Hong Kong at [email protected]
To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Ludden at [email protected], Jeff Sutherland
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