(TibetanReview.net, Mar05’20) – India has announced more emergency measures as a result of worsening Covid-19 incidents in capital New Delhi, shutting all primary schools until March-end and imposing restrictions on travels from Italy and South Korea as well. The new measures were announced as the number of confirmed infection in the country touched 30 on Mar 5, with 28,529 under surveillance, reported the Indianexpress.com Mar 5 evening. The 30 confirmed cases included 16 Italian tourists and their driver, three people in Kerala (who have recovered), one in Hyderabad, one in Ghaziabad, two in New Delhi and six in Agra.
India has also suspended most of the visas issued to nationals of Japan, South Korea, Italy, Iran and China, the countries most affected by the globally spreading epidemic which originated in the Central Chinese city of Wuhan in Dec 2019.
Meanwhile the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced Mar 4 that the global death rate from the raging epidemic, based on the latest figures, was 3.4%, higher than earlier figures of about 2%, reported businessinsider.in Mar 4. In contrast, the seasonal flu kills 0.1% of those infected, the report noted.
However, experts have predicted that the fatality rate of Covid-19 could decrease in the longer term as the number of confirmed infections rises since milder cases were probably going undiagnosed.
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Worldwide, a total of 96,336 people have been infected thus far in 75 countries with 3,303 dead as of Mar 5 at 6:39 PM Hong Kong time, shows data compiled by the scmp.com. China accounted for 80,409 of the confirmed infections and 3,012 of the deaths.
South Korea continued to be the worst hit county outside mainland China with 6,088 people infected and 40 dead.
However, in terms of fatality, Iran and Italy have recorded the highest number outside mainland China with 107 deaths each. The number of those with confirmed infections in Iran was 3,513 and those in Italy 3,089.
The Diamond Princess cruise ship showed the same figures of 7056 infections and 6 deaths among its passengers and crew.
Other countries and territories with confirmed cases and deaths as of Mar 5 at 6:39 PM Hong Kong time included Japan, (330, 6), France (285, 4), Spain (200, 1), the United States (129, 9), Hong Kong (104, 2), Switzerland (58, 1), Australia (52, 2), Thailand (47, 1), Taiwan (44, 1), Iraq (26, 2), San Marino (15, 1), and the Philippines (3, 1).
Countries and regions with 10 or more confirmed infections, but no death, as of Mar 5 at 6:39 PM Hong Kong time included Germany (349), Singapore (117), the United Kingdom (85), Kuwait (56-unchanged), Norway (56), Sweden (52), Malaysia (50-unchanged), Bahrain (49-unchanged), the Netherlands (38), Canada (33), Austria (29), India (28, since risen to 30), the UAE (27-unchanged), Vietnam (16-unchanged), Israel (15), Lebanon (13-unchanged), Algeria (12), Oman (12-unchanged), Macao (10-unchanged), Denmark (10), and Greece (10).
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In Mainland China, the National Health Commission (NHC) has reported 139 new confirmed cases and 31 deaths on Mar 5, taking their totals to 80,409 and 3,012 respectively. Of the confirmed cases, 25,352 patients were still being treated and 52,045 had been discharged after recovery, apart from the dead, reported China’s official Xinhua news agency Mar 5.
The newly confirmed cases included 134 in Hubei Province while all the deaths that day had occurred in Hubei.
The commission has said 143 new suspected cases had been reported on Mar 4, taking the total to 522.
China said Mar 5 that all but three cities in Hubei Province on Mar 4 reported zero new confirmed cases, with some having kept the zero record for 12 days.
