WHO Notes COVID-19 Pandemic Potential as 5 More Mideast Nations Affected
virus, US Forces Korea (USFK) said in a statement yesterday. The patient is a 61-year-old woman living in Daegu who visited Camp Walker’s Post Exchange on Feb 12 and Feb 15. KCDC and USFK health officials are tracing contacts and the USFK has raised its risk level to high.
Italy Cases Rise; ECDC Notes Hospital Spread
Since yesterday, Italy has reported 97 more cases, boosting its total to 229, including 6 deaths, according to an update from the health ministry.
The outbreak is still concentrated in four northern regions, including Lombardy (172), Veneto (33), and Emilia Romagna (18), and Piedmont (3). There are also three cases in Lazio region near Rome (including two Chinese tourists). Of the 222 people who are still under observation or treatment, 94 are in home isolation, and of 101 hospitalized patients, 27 are receiving intensive care unit (ICU) treatment.
In a related development, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has issued a risk assessment, based on Italy’s outbreak. It said local transmission is occurring with, cases linked to hospitals in both healthcare workers and patients. It said the situation in Italy is dynamic, with more cases expected on the days ahead, and so far, no close contacts or other related cases have been reported in other European countries.
It said the risk to people in the European Union and the United Kingdom is low to moderate, due to strong efforts in Italy to identify, isolate, and test contacts. It added that the possibility of new introductions from countries outside of China is increasing and that the risk of clusters similar to the ones in Italy is moderate to high. It said the impact would be moderate to high, especially if hospitals are affected and large numbers of healthcare workers are isolated. It said the threat to health systems during the peak of flu season, which is past peak in some countries, is low to moderate.
The WHO yesterday announced a joint mission with the ECDC, which arrived in Italy yesterday to support Italian authorities. It said though limited local spread outside China is expected, the rapid increase in Italy over the past 2 days is concerning.
China Confirms 409 New Infections
China yesterday reported 409 new cases, down from 648 reported yesterday, raising the overall outbreak total to 77,150 cases, the country’s National Health Commission said yesterday in its daily update. Also, it reported 150 more deaths
