Covid-19 epidemic spreads to many countries, on the verge of pandemic

More new outbreaks far from China

Cases of the new coronavirus, known as Covid-19, have been detected far from China, raising concerns among officials in some of the wealthiest countries in Europe and Asia, as well as those with poorer resources. But many remain uncertain about how best to contain Covid-19.

New clusters have been identified as far away from China as Italy, Iran, France, Algeria and Spain’s Canary Islands. The tiny Gulf nation of Bahrain has also reported 17 cases of Covid-19, including a school bus driver who was still driving students as recently as Feb. 23, according to the AP.

Iranian leader infected with Covid-19

In Iran, the head of the Covid-19 task force contracted the virus despite just days earlier urging the public not to overreact to the spread of the disease.

This Iranian official, Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi, posted a video, pledging that authorities would control the virus within weeks.

However, Iran's Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said the outbreak could not be brought under control until at least March 20 or at the latest by the end of April. "We do not expect a miracle in the short term."

Speed and golden time to block Covid-19

Meanwhile, in South Korea, officials said they were trying to contain the spread of Covid-19, as the number of infected people exceeded 1,000 cases.

“It’s a matter of speed and time: We have to make a clear turning point this week,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said. In the city of Daegu and surrounding areas, where the outbreak is most severe, many stores remain closed and activities are at a standstill.

At a US military base in Daegu, a 61-year-old widow of a US serviceman has tested positive for Covid-19. This is the first case in a cluster of people related to thousands of US troops stationed in South Korea to be found positive for Covid-19.

The number of infections in China continues to increase

In China, the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise even as officials say new infections have slowed. As of February 25, the number of people infected with the virus worldwide stood at about 80,000 and 2,700 had died.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Covid-19 mortality rate in Wuhan is 2-4%, while in other places in China it is 0.7%.

Dr. Bruce Aylward, a WHO envoy who just returned from a trip to China on February 25, told reporters that the number of virus infections in the country is high because the epidemic hit Wuhan early and very quickly, when people did not know what they were facing and were trying to deal with it.

Recently, Croatia and Austria detected the first cases of Covid-19 infection.

According to Vietnamnet