China declared an immediate and “comprehensive” ban on wild animal trade and consumption, a practice believed to be responsible for the deadly coronavirus outbreak. The highest legislative committee in the country adopted a resolution “prohibiting the illegal trade in wildlife, abolishing the bad habit of overconsumption of wildlife and effectively protecting people’s lives and safety,” state television reported. Previous temporary …

The sharp rise in cases and the global spread of coronavirus outside of China reinforce WHO’s concerns about coping with the epidemic, experts warned Sunday as they called for ever more caution. “There has been a remarkable change towards COVID-19 (new coronavirus) taken over the past 48 hours,” said Professor Devi Sridhar, Director of the Global Health Governance Program at …

According to the Department of Health (DOH), there are 41 new reported cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Philippines as of Friday morning. This takes the cumulative total of all persons under investigation (PUIs) in the country to 597 on the basis of data released at 10 a.m. by the DOH Given the additions to the register, hospitals …

The government expects public investment spending of more than 400 billion baht in the second quarter to help the flagging economy weather the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana said on Thursday. Even before the epidemic that originated in China, the trade-reliant economy has been under pressure, buffeted by the Sino-US trade war, sluggish investment, a delayed …

A hospital director at the epicentre of China’s virus epidemic died Tuesday, state media said, the latest medical worker to fall victim to the new coronavirus spreading across the country. Liu Zhiming, the director of Wuchang Hospital in Wuhan, died Tuesday morning after “all-out rescue efforts failed,” state broadcaster CCTV reported. China said last week that six medical workers had …

The new case, a 60-year-old Chinese woman whose family members earlier contracted the virus, takes the total number of cases in Thailand to 35 since January, Sukhum Kanchanapimai, the health ministry’s permanent secretary told a news conference. The health ministry said on Monday that Thailand had recorded one new case of the coronavirus and was increasing screening of visitors from …

Armed robbers who stole hundreds of toilet rolls were being hunted by Hong Kong police on Monday, in a city wracked by shortages caused by coronavirus panic-buying. Toilet rolls have become hot property in the densely packed business hub, despite government assurances that supplies remain unaffected by the virus outbreak. Supermarkets have found themselves unable to restock quickly enough, leading …

The US flew home its citizens from a coronavirus-infected cruise ship in Japan Monday, with other nations preparing to follow suit as global concerns grow over the spread of the disease and the death toll at its Chinese epicentre topped 1,700. More than 70,500 have been infected across China by the COVID-19 virus as the world battles to contain the …

As many 104 specimens from suspected coronavirus patients, it was reported that nearly all of them tested negative. This was stated by Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy that got confirmed from the government’s health officials that had analyzed those number of patients. “There have been 104 specimens or samples based on the Health Ministry’s directorate-general from …

Port workers in the Philippines were instructed to allow travelers to and from Taiwan to enter and leave, stated by the Immigration Bureau (BI). The order came after the lifting of the travel ban from and to Taiwan by the Philippines to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease in 2019. According to the BI, the lifting of the ban also …