COVID-19: Latest update on February 25

South Korea: 9th death from COVID-19

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has just announced the ninth death, a patient at a hospital in North Gyeongsang Province. There are also 60 new infections, including 16 cases in Daegu City, home to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and 33 cases in North Gyeongsang Province.

Reuters reported this morning, February 25, that the head of Shincheonji said he had agreed to provide a list of all members of the sect, estimated at about 215,000 people, to Korean authorities for COVID-19 testing.

4th passenger on Diamond Princess cruise ship dies

Japan's NHK television station reported on February 25 that a passenger on the Diamond Princess cruise ship had died from COVID-19. This time, the victim was also an elderly passenger in his 80s. This is the fourth death on the ship to date.

US advises citizens not to travel to South Korea

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on February 24 (local time) recommended that US citizens avoid unnecessary travel to South Korea amid the COVID-19 epidemic spreading in South Korea with 893 infections as of the morning of February 25.

Italy: 229 people infected with COVID-19, 11 towns locked down

Ten more people tested positive for the new coronavirus in Italy on February 24, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 229, making Italy the country with the most COVID-19 infections in Europe.

Mr. Bruno Borelli, an official of the Italian Government, confirmed the above figure and said that the number of new infections on February 24 decreased compared to previous days. 6 out of 7 deaths in Italy occurred in the Lombardy region - the north of the country.

Eleven towns with a population of about 50,000 are under lockdown in an effort to contain the spread of the disease. Authorities have banned large gatherings and closed public entertainment venues and schools.

Milan Mayor Cappe Sala urged people to remain calm and restrained, and not to rush to supermarkets to stock up on food. "We should spend our time looking after the most vulnerable, such as the elderly, who are particularly at risk," Sala urged.

There are more than 7 million people in Italy over 75 years old.

Empty shelves in a supermarket in the city of Pioltello in the Lombardy region on February 24 - Photo: REUTERS.

Death toll falls, infections rise slightly in China

Reuters news agency cited data released by China's National Health Commission on the morning of February 25, showing that by the end of February 24, 71 more people had died from the COVID-19 epidemic in mainland China, down nearly half from the 150 people on February 23.

The number of new infections in mainland China was 508, a slight increase from 409 on February 23. The total number of infections in mainland China as of the end of February 24 was 77,658, with a total of 2,663 deaths.

The epicenter of Hubei still accounts for the majority of new infections and deaths in China with 499 new infections and 68 deaths on February 24.

However, in other parts of the country, the number of new infections fell for the fourth consecutive day.

WHO expert arrives in Wuhan: The decrease in data is real

"I know a lot of people look at the numbers in China and ask, what is really going on?", Mr. Bruce Aylward, head of the World Health Organization (WHO) expert team to China, emphasized at a press conference on the evening of February 24.

Aylward's team visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, last week. "Many sources point to the same thing. New cases are decreasing due to the measures being taken," Aylward said at a joint press conference with China's National Health Commission (NHC).

A WHO expert praised China's decision to lock down Wuhan, stressing that without it, COVID-19 would have spread worldwide.

"The whole world is indebted to China. The world needs China's experience to overcome this epidemic. No country has more experience in dealing with COVID-19 than China," the South China Morning Post quoted Mr. Aylward as emphasizing.

WHO expert Bruce Aylward at a late evening press conference on February 24 - Photo: SCMP

China: "The new coronavirus has not mutated yet"

Liang Wannian, who led the NHC team accompanying WHO experts in China, said the new coronavirus has not mutated yet. He also said research has shown that bats are the most likely host and that it may have been transmitted to civets before infecting humans.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China met on February 24 and passed a proposal to ban the trade and consumption of wild animals.

Iran makes its own COVID-19 test kit

Iran's Defense Ministry said its experts and scientists have successfully developed a new coronavirus test kit as the country becomes the epicenter of the Middle East, Fars news agency reported.

According to Fars, the above-mentioned virus test kit has begun mass production after going through all the necessary testing and evaluation processes for accuracy. Iran is considered one of the top 5 countries in the world in the field of biotechnology.

Mr. Trump reassured, saying COVID-19 is under good control in the US

US President Donald Trump has reassured the public by affirming on his personal Twitter that the COVID-19 epidemic is under good control in the US. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of February 24, 53 cases of infection have been recorded in the country, including 14 cases of infection on US soil and 39 cases of people evacuated from abroad.

The US stock market reacted negatively to news of the widespread and strong outbreak of the epidemic in other countries during the trading session on February 24.

Major indexes such as the Dow Jones, Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 all lost points in the opening session. The Dow Jones alone lost 1,031 points, its lowest level in the past two years, according to the AP news agency.

European Union contributes $124 million to WHO to fight COVID-19

The European Commission (EC) announced on February 24 that it had contributed 124 million USD to the WHO's emergency response plan for the COVID-19 epidemic. This is the largest contribution the WHO has received since calling on countries to support more than 600 million USD to fight COVID-19 in poor countries.

"Our aid package will support the WHO and ensure that no poor country is left behind. Our goal is to prevent the outbreak from reaching a global level," said Janez Lenarcic, an official from the EC.

According to Tuoi Tre