COVID-19 pandemic March 3: Number of infected people in South Korea exceeds 5,100, US has 5 more deaths

South Korea's COVID-19 cases have risen to 5,186, with 29 deaths. Italy reported 342 new cases and 18 deaths, bringing its total to 2,036 and its death toll to 52, while the US also reported five more deaths.

On the afternoon of March 3, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) recorded 374 new infections, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in Korea to 5,186.

Earlier in the morning of the same day, KCDC announced that the number of COVID-19 infections in Korea increased by 600 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 4,812 cases, while the number of deaths increased by 3 cases, bringing the total number of deaths to 29 cases.

To date, 87 countries and territories have imposed entry bans or quarantine procedures on travelers from South Korea.

Of these, 36 countries and territories have banned entry for visitors who have been to Korea within the past 2 weeks, and 51 other countries and territories have implemented quarantine procedures for visitors from Korea.

China spends $143 billion to help businesses return to production

China's Ministry of Finance announced on March 3 that it would spend 1 trillion yuan ($143 billion) to help businesses resume production. China also plans to reduce corporate debt by about 510 billion yuan ($73 billion) this year. Companies in Hubei province will also be exempted from insurance payments for five months.

In addition, authorities at all levels in China spent a total of 108.75 billion yuan (equivalent to 15.58 billion USD) on March 2 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to Fu Jinling, head of the social insurance department of the Chinese Ministry of Finance .

People line up to register their names and body temperatures before entering an office building in Beijing, China - Photo: REUTERS

On the same day, Chinese authorities asked overseas Chinese to reconsider or minimize travel plans to prevent the spread of COVID-19. At the same time, some places in China have stepped up epidemic control.

For example, people coming from countries heavily affected by COVID-19 must undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival in Guangdong. Shanghai also requires visitors from countries with relatively severe epidemics to undergo a 14-day quarantine.

Dandong city in Liaoning province announced that it will test all visitors to the city from February 12.

In Zhejiang province, authorities have recorded seven recent COVID-19 cases after returning from a trip to Italy. Local authorities say that traveling between places is the easiest way to spread the disease, so staying in place is the "best form of protection."

The US will soon provide drugs to treat the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the summer or fall

The US announced on March 2 that drugs to treat the SARS-CoV-2 virus could appear this summer or fall. That is the antiviral drug remdesivir developed by the pharmaceutical company Gilead. This drug is being used to treat an American patient infected with COVID-19 and is expected to undergo the final two phases of clinical trials in Asia.

Meanwhile, the 64th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women scheduled to take place in New York, USA from March 9 to 20 will be shortened to one day due to concerns about the epidemic.

The UN also announced the closure of its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, to visitors.

Indonesia monitors 70 health workers

About 70 medical staff at Mitra Family Hospital in Depok, West Java, Indonesia, have been quarantined at home after coming into contact with the first two cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the country. The two patients were infected after coming into contact with a Japanese person who was sick in Malaysia.

Countries continue to detect new infections

Austria said the country has recorded a total of 18 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, including 9 cases in the capital Vienna, and about 350 cases are under self-isolation and monitoring.

Meanwhile, 18 employees working at two hotels in Salzburg state have been laid off and monitored at home because a German tourist who stayed at these two hotels has been confirmed to be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Pakistan on March 3 recorded one new case of COVID-19 infection, bringing the total number of infections in the country to five.

WHO: South Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan are hotspots

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the rate of COVID-19 infection in South Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan is very worrying.

Speaking at a press conference late on March 2 (Vietnam time), Mr. Tedros said that within just 24 hours, the number of new infections outside China was 9 times higher than the number of new infections recorded inside China.

Of the total 8,739 cases reported by 61 countries outside China, 81% of patients were concentrated in four countries.

Of the remaining 57 countries, 38 reported fewer than 10 cases, while 19 reported only one case.

Therefore, Mr. Tedros believes that the acute respiratory infection caused by the new strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) can be prevented and will not spread like seasonal flu in the US.

South Korean soldiers wearing protective gear prepare to spray disinfectant at Daegu City Hall, South Korea on March 2 - Photo: REUTERS

Death toll in China falls

According to data released by the National Health Commission of China on the morning of March 3, as of the end of March 2, 31 deaths from COVID-19 had been recorded across mainland China. All of these cases occurred in Hubei province.

The number of new infections across China on March 2 continued to decrease to 125 cases, significantly lower than the previous day's figure of 202. As of the end of March 2, the total number of infections in China was 80,151, with a total of 2,943 deaths.

America has 5 more deaths

CNN quoted the Washington state government's announcement that there were 5 more deaths from COVID-19 on March 2, bringing the total number of deaths in the US to 6, all in Washington.

Notably, 5/6 patients are elderly people living at a nursing home in Kirkland. The number of infections in Washington is 18, only 1 case less than neighboring California. The total number of infections in the US as of the morning of March 3 (Vietnam time) is 101.

At least 48 schools have closed in Washington state over concerns of a COVID-19 outbreak, CNN added.

Iran receives first batch of medical aid from WHO

On his personal Twitter page, WHO Director-General Tedros said that the organization's first shipment of medical aid to Iran arrived on March 2.

The shipment includes eight tons of medicine, 100,000 coronavirus testing kits and enough medical protective gear to cover 15,000 people.

WHO experts also accompanied the UAE air force plane to Tehran's international airport.

According to Mr. Tedros, this aid was exported from the WHO's medical warehouse located in Dubai and expressed confidence that it would partly support the country with the second highest number of deaths from COVID-19 in the world.

Unloading medical aid at Iran airport - Photo: TWITTER

WHO expert: We should not prevent the epidemic in the same way as Wuhan

Dr Mike Ryan, head of the WHO's emergencies programme, said the extreme measures taken by Chinese authorities in Wuhan to contain the coronavirus were probably not needed elsewhere, noting that different places had different levels of "social acceptability" and could not be applied in a one-size-fits-all manner.

"It's clear that in Singapore, for example, or closer to mainland China, Hong Kong, measures that don't involve locking down cities or outright travel bans have been very effective in both containing and pushing back infections over the past six weeks," Mr Ryan argued at a press conference on March 2.

According to Tuoi Tre