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UK Warns Coronavirus Is “Imminent Threat” After Suspected “Super Spreader” Returns From Singapore
UK Warns Coronavirus Is “Imminent Threat” After Suspected “Super Spreader” Returns From Singapore
Monday was supposed to mark the official ‘return to work’ for many companies around China. That hasn’t exactly panned out…
China is going back to work.
…though the image presented by state controlled media was somewhat more optimistic.
Along with many other Chinese cities, Monday marked the first working day in Shanghai after the long Spring festival break. The flow of commuters and traffic amid the #coronavirus outbreak increased significantly compared to previous days. http://bit.ly/31FfYFe #NCP
Still, western media reported that “millions” returned to work on Monday, even if large swaths of the Chinese economy remained shut down, CNN reports. However, many will be working from home if possible. The total number of cases worldwide has now topped 40,000, while the death toll has hit 910, according to the most up-to-date data from the SCMP:
But even as workers started to log back in, or even returned to the office in some rare cases, nearly 100 more were declared dead from the outbreak, a daily record. Meanwhile, as we noted last night, the WHO – which previously had aggressively kowtowed to Beijing – said the number of cases outside China could be “just the tip of the iceberg,” according to Reuters.
Across mainland China, 3,062 new infections were confirmed on Sunday, bringing the total number to 40,171, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).
Wu Fan, vice-dean of Shanghai Fudan University Medical school, said there was hope the spread might soon reach a turning point.
“The situation is stabilising,” she told a briefing when asked about the spread in Shanghai, which has had nearly 300 cases and one death.
But WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking in Geneva, said there had been “concerning instances” of transmission from people who had not been to China.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
“Tip Of The Iceberg” – WHO Director Warns Of More Widespread Transmission As Virus Death Toll Tops 900, Beijing Under Partial Lock Down
“Tip Of The Iceberg” – WHO Director Warns Of More Widespread Transmission As Virus Death Toll Tops 900, Beijing Under Partial Lock Down
Summary:
- Virus death toll hits 902, vastly surpassing all of SARS (813) in only three weeks
- The number of global confirmed cases hits 40,553 in China (40,171) and offshore (382)
- WHO Director-General warns “we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg”
- Exiled Chinese billionaire says true death toll closer to 50k, 1.5 million infected
- New cases confirmed in UK, Spain, Singapore
- Passengers aboard ‘Diamond Princess’ warn authorities aren’t doing enough to protect them – and others
- Officials in Shenzen say they won’t block Foxxconn factory reopening
- Cruise ship quarantined in Hong Kong allowed to leave after 4 days
* * *
Update (2240ET): And so the epidemic reaches China’s capital Beijing. As gnews reports, as the coronavirus spreads from Wuhan, China has been implementing “closed management” by putting 80 cities under lockdown, and on Monday, Beijing authorities also issued a “Strict Closed Management of Residential Communities” in an epidemic prevention and control announcement (link here). It is an official declaration that Beijing, the country’s capital city of China, is now under lockdown.
Finally, #Beijing partially locked down, all communities under “closedown model “ management. Original Chinese language announcement here #武汉肺炎 #coronavirus 北京发布疫情防控通告，严格居住小区（村）封闭式管 理http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2020/0210/c1001-31578622.html …
According to the notice, Beijing will further enforce “community closed management” in a strict manner. Outside vehicles and personnel are not allowed to enter the city. People arriving in Beijing must also report their health status and complete the registration of personal information.
Those, who have left the epidemic area or have physical contact with persons in the epidemic area within 14 days of their arrival at Beijing, shall be inspected or quarantined at home in accordance with the regulations. They should take the initiative to report their health conditions, and cooperate with relevant management services. They shall not go out.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Corona Virus? The Chinese Central Bank Has a “Solution”
Corona Virus? The Chinese Central Bank Has a “Solution”
In response to the economic paralysis brought about by the coronavirus, the Chinese central bank has pumped $243 billion into financial markets. On Monday February 3 2020, China’s equity market shed $393 billion of its value.
Most experts are of the view that in order to counter the damage that the coronavirus has inflicted, loose monetary policy is of utmost importance to stabilize the economy. In this way of thinking, it is believed that the massive monetary pumping will lift overall demand in the economy and this in turn is likely to move the economy out of the stagnation hole.
On this way of thinking consumer confidence, which has weakened as a result of the coronavirus could be lifted by massive monetary pumping.
Now, even if consumers were to become more confident about economic prospects, how is all this related to the damage that the virus continues to inflict? Would the increase in consumer confidence due to the monetary pumping cause individuals to go back to work?
Unless the causes of the virus are ascertained or unless some vaccine is produced to protect individuals against the virus, they are likely to continue to pursue a life of isolation. This means that most people are not going to risk their life and start using the newly pumped money to boost their spending.
It seems that whenever a crisis emerges, central banks are of the view that first of all they must push plenty of money to “cushion” the side effects of the crisis. The central bankers following the idea that if in doubt “grease” the problem with a lot of money.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
The Mysterious Origin of the Wuhan Coronavirus
The Mysterious Origin of the Wuhan Coronavirus
China continues to refuse to release animal sampling testing data.
Analysis
It has been two months since the outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan and its spread has shown no signs of slowing down in China. More than 35 Chinese cities have been put on lockdown by Chinese authorities in an attempt to isolate confirmed and suspected cases. The lives of millions of people are in danger as the virus shows signs of spreading further in China as well as internationally.
There are significant gaps in the official investigations into the origins of the novel Coronavirus. In order to contain the virus, one first needs to understand how a virus that allegedly originated in animals found its way to humans. For this to happen, the Chinese authorities need to release their animal testing data and samples. Testing results from animal samples collected at epicenters would give important insights into what animals might serve as intermediate hosts for the new coronavirus.
This is critical to the containment of the epidemic. For example, if rats are the intermediate hosts for this virus, it would be futile to shut down the cities to restrict people’s movements while infected rats are still moving freely. Results from animal samples could also guide policy decisions that would reduce the risk of another outbreak.
An Animal Origin of the Virus
Scientific studies based on phylogenetic analysis have researched the sequence of the novel coronavirus, compared it to other coronavirus sequences, and found it likely originated in bats.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Expect “Cascading Global Impact” As Coronavirus Causes Massive Manufacturing Disruptions Worldwide
Expect “Cascading Global Impact” As Coronavirus Causes Massive Manufacturing Disruptions Worldwide
China has now placed hundreds of millions of its citizens under quarantine, leaving its economy grinding to a halt.
Workers can’t leave their homes. Factories are idle. Most (if not all) of China’s ports are no longer shipping. International flights are increasingly banned from the country.
As PeakProsperity.com’s Chris Martenson details below, when the world’s #2 economy hangs up a big “CLOSED” sign, that’s going to result in a major negative impact on global trade.
As the manufacturing powerhouse to the world, you’ll be challenged to think of ANY industry that won’t experience serious supply chain interruptions and shortages from China’s woes. For instance, did you know China makes the vast majority of our prescription pharmaceuticals?
A MASSIVE hit to the global economy will directly result from the damage the Wuhan coronavirus is currently doing. And it may get worse, a lot worse, as The Telegraph’s Ambrose Evens Pritchard points out, “the longer Beijing enforces curbs on work and travel, the greater the global economic shock.”
The Chinese economy is 17pc of the world economy and deeply integrated into international supply chains. It was just 4.5pc of world GDP during the SARS epidemic 2003, which some like to use as a reassuring template. You cannot shut down China for long these days without shutting down the world.
Wednesday’s investor euphoria at reports of two new wonder drugs from Zhejiang University show how badly unhinged the market has become. This is not the way that medical science advances. Nor could these anti-virals possibly be ready, in time and at scale, to avert serious economic upheaval.
When Trust Evaporates
When Trust Evaporates
I thought I’d compare the current Wuhan zombie apocalypse bat virus to that of SARS and see what is similar this time around…and what is not.
Now, I’m not going to get into which virus wins the “I killed more faster”, (thus far, it was SARS with a fatality rate of 9.6% vs 2.8%). Or which is more infectious (SARS again, though Coronavirus can spread while still incubating). Or join the silly debate of whether we should eat bats (they carry the disease, so ummm…NO). Rather, I’m going to focus on what’s been different in terms of the reaction globally…and why this is important. Because let’s face it, statistically, you’re still far more likely to be killed by some dolt crossing the centerline while watching his Insta feed…and nobody is running around like headless chickens screaming…don’t drive, don’t drive.
The Difference This Time
When SARS arrived on our doorsteps, the world’s response was one of cooperation, collaboration and a concerted effort to help our fellow man.
This time, the geopolitical world is completely different. We’re going into this at a time when trade wars have been ignited, Europe is fragmenting (Brexit, EU disharmony) US political polarisation is really something to behold. That’s bad enough, but there is an accelerating sense of distrust between countries at a political level and of institutions by the public at a private level.
All of these factors combined explain why it is that amongst other things…
Russia, Mongolia and North Korea have closed their land borders with China, and even HK has restricted their border. Flights in and out of mainland China have been cancelled indefinitely, with planes arriving from China landing in many countries only to be told…no way buddy back you go.
Who’s To Blame?
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
“If You Are Angry, Stand Up”: Beijing Scrambles To Tamp Down Unrest As Furious Chinese Take To Social Media
“If You Are Angry, Stand Up”: Beijing Scrambles To Tamp Down Unrest As Furious Chinese Take To Social Media
Summary:
- Fatalities in China reached a single-day high of 86 on Friday, raising the national death toll to 724
- WHO reported 31,481 confirmed global cases on Friday, up by 3,000+ cases from Thursday; SCMP says total cases closer to 35k
- First American citizen has died
- First Japanese citizen suspected of succumbing to virus
- France elevates travel advisory to orange after 5 Britons fall ill in ski resort
- Roundup of suspected infected in Wuhan continues
- Beijing appoints Xi protege to help lead virus response
- Vigil for Dr. Li held in Hong Kong
- China blocks Foxconn plan to reopen factories
* * *
Update (1500ET): The NYT just published its latest critical piece about the Chinese government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak. This one centers on President Xi’s decision to stay out of the limelight over the past two weeks, instead leaving the crisis to his No. 2, Premier Li Keqiang, who has been charged with leading the committee of senior officials tasked with overseeing the government response to the outbreak.
One academic quoted in the article explains that the government’s botched handling of the outbreak could be the biggest threat to Xi’s rule during his tenure so far, and that the changes he’s imposed on the Chinese constitution could make it difficult for Xi to avoid blame.
“It’s a big shock to the legitimacy of the ruling party. I think it could be only second to the June 4 incident of 1989. It’s that big,” said Rong Jian, a writer about politics in Beijing, referring to the armed crackdown on Tiananmen Square protesters that year.
“There’s no doubt about his control over power,” he added, “but the manner of control and its consequences have hurt his legitimacy and reputation.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
50,000 New Coronavirus Infections Per Day in China
50,000 New Coronavirus Infections Per Day in China
Prof. Neil Ferguson, Vice Dean Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College in London, estimates 50K new infections per day.
Please consider the following video by Prof. Neil Ferguson.
10 Key Video Points
- 50,000 new cases a day in china
- Infections doubling every 5 days
- Death rate is still unknown
- China likely to peak in March
- Epidemic peak is still a month away
- It will be very hard to control this epidemic the say way we did with SARS 15-20 years ago
- Cases are always underestimated
- Death delays are as long as three weeks
- Reported deaths outside China are not reassuring because of delays
- We still don’t know the full effects
Tweet on Containment Strategies
Building on @ChristoPhraser et al’s work, @coreypeak‘s model examining the impact of disease dynamics on the relative benefits of symptom monitoring v quarantine seems relevant for thinking through #nCoV2019 containment strategies. https://www.pnas.org/content/114/15/4023.abstract …
Jim Bianco’s Latest Update
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Optimism Fades As Virus Deaths Soar To 724, Drop In New Cases Reverses Higher
Optimism Fades As Virus Deaths Soar To 724, Drop In New Cases Reverses Higher
Summary:
- Confirmed cases rises to just shy of 35K, deaths surge by 86 to 722, set to surpass SARS total in hours; total number of people under observation rises to 19K.
- Reporter says ‘real’ death toll could be closer to 20k
- German scientists say coronavirus can survive for 9 days on surfaces
- Chinese quarantine expanded to Guangzhou; 400 million now on lockdown
- Singapore raises response level to Orange
- Hong Kong confirms case No. 25
- Death of Dr. Li stokes demands for more free speech in China
* * *
Update (2000 ET): After two days of declines in the number of “new cases” reported by China’s National Health Commission, and the latest number of total infected in China coming in below JPMorgan’s daily estimate – no really, to JPM the number of daily new infections is just like the jobs report: it either beats or it misses…
… Saturday, Feb 8 saw an unexpected reversal in the downward slope in new cases, and as the NHC reported moments ago, as of Feb 7, China reported a total of 34,546 cases, an increase of 3,385 overnight, and the first rise in new cases in three days, suggesting any hopes that the pandemic had already peaked were just crushed.
Adding the 365 international cases, means that as of Saturday, there were a total of 34,911 global cases, resulting in 724 deaths – an increase of 86 on the day, the biggest one day rises since the pandemic started – and a mortality rate of 2.1%, which is where it has been stuck for the past ten days. At this rate of increase in officially reported (which is vastly different from the actual true number) cases, the coronavirus pandemic will claim more lives than SARS in under 24 hours.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
White House Asks Scientists To Investigate Whether 2019-nCoV Was Bio-Engineered
White House Asks Scientists To Investigate Whether 2019-nCoV Was Bio-Engineered
A week ago, we published details that raised questions about the source of the Wuhan novel coronavirus, specifically questioning the official theory for the spread of the Coronavirus epidemic, namely because someone ate bat soup at a Wuhan seafood and animal market as a fabricated farce.
The real reason behind the viral spread, we suggested, was that a weaponized version of the coronavirus (one which may have originally been obtained from Canada), was released by Wuhan’s Institute of Virology (presumably accidentally ), China’s only top, level-4 biohazard lab, which was studying “the world’s most dangerous pathogens.”
At the time we summarized the series of dots and asked “real reporters” to connect them:
- One of China’s top virology and immunology experts was and still works at China’s top-rated biohazard lab, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which some have affectionately called the real Umbrella Corp.
- Since 2009, Peng has been the leading Chinese scientist researching the immune mechanism of bats carrying and transmitting lethal viruses in the world.
- His primary field of study is researching how and why bats can be infected with some of the most nightmarish viruses in the world including Ebola, SARS and Coronavirus, and not get sick.
- He was genetically engineering various immune pathways (such as the STING pathway in bats) to make the bats more or less susceptible to infection, in the process potentially creating a highly resistant mutant superbug.
- As part of his studies, Peng also researched mutant Coronavirus strains that overcame the natural immunity of some bats; these are “superbug” Coronavirus strains, which are resistant to any natural immune pathway, and now appear to be out in the wild.
- As of mid-November, his lab was actively hiring inexperienced post-docs to help conduct his research into super-Coronaviruses and bat infections.
Epidemiologist: You Can’t Keep the Coronavirus Out of the U.S.
EPIDEMIOLOGIST: YOU CAN’T KEEP THE CORONAVIRUS OUT OF THE U.S.
The United States has implemented travel restrictions in recent days to keep the fast-moving coronavirus that has crippled much of China from spreading across America. But one epidemiologist is warning it won’t work.
“I have never seen instances where that has worked when we are talking about a virus at this scale,” epidemiologist Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Health Security, testified before the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee. Respiratory viruses like the one that’s sickened more than 24,300 across the globe and killed at least 490 in China “just move quickly,” she said,according to a report by CNBC. “They [new viral outbreaks] are hard to spot because they look like many other diseases. It’s very hard to interrupt them at borders. You would need to have complete surveillance in order to do that. And we simply don’t have that,” she said.
She also says that worrying about stopping the spread of the virus, when you can’t do that is diverting resources away from fighting the disease. So far, the best way to fight the virus is to wear a face mask. Even a surgical mask is better than nothing. Masks have been slowly becoming available for purchase again, however, the price on them has risen quite a bit. There is obviously more of a demand than supply right now.
Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, announced the hearing last week. “While the threat of the coronavirus is relatively low in the United States at this time, we must be vigilant and prepared,” Bera said in a statement. “I look forward to hearing from our expert witnesses on ways in which we can plan and respond to this virus. Congress needs to ensure the administration has the tools it needs to respond to and limit the outbreak.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Panicked Hong Kongers Hoard Food, Water, Supplies Amid Coronavirus Hysteria
Panicked Hong Kongers Hoard Food, Water, Supplies Amid Coronavirus Hysteria
Now that striking health-care workers have successfully forced Carrie Lam’s government to close most of its border links with the mainland and dramatically restrict travel from elsewhere in China, a full-on panic has engulfed the city, fueled by “malicious rumors” about supply shortages, Reuters reports.
Chaos has erupted in some areas as supermarkets have imposed limits on how many items customers can buy. Hundreds of shoppers have thronged aisles of supermarkets as they struggle to buy up as many consumer staples – rice, water, meat, noodles etc. – as they can again on Friday. Chinese-ruled Hong Kong has reported 25 cases of the virus and one of only three deaths outside the mainland.
“Everyone’s snatching whatever they can get. I don’t even know what’s going on,” said a 72-year-old woman surnamed Li as she clutched two bags of toilet rolls.
The situation in Hong Kong right now is incredibly tense. Many still have horrible memories from the SARS outbreak of 2002-2003, which killed roughly 300 people as it swept through the city. But the scare also comes after months of anti-Beijing protests by the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement.
Already, Matthew Cheung, chief secretary for administration, said that Hong Kong people returning from the mainland must stay home for a fortnight or risk a $3,200 fine and up to 6 months in jail. Non-Hong Kong residents must stay in government isolation centers or hotel rooms for the same period, facing the same penalties.
“Self discipline and having everybody in Hong Kong fighting…this infectious disease is the most important thing,” said Sophia Chan, the city’s health secretary.
There was some good news in Hong Kong: Thousands of medical workers who had been on strike this week to press the government to close the border voted to suspend their action on Friday night, though they said they would continue to pressure the government for tighter measures to suppress the outbreak.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Citizen Journalists Who Exposed Beijing’s Lies In Wuhan Have Suddenly Vanished
Citizen Journalists Who Exposed Beijing’s Lies In Wuhan Have Suddenly Vanished
As we reported late Thursday evening, the death toll from the viral outbreak on mainland China has surpassed 600. With global markets once again in the red, Bloomberg reports that Beijing has silenced two of the citizen journalists responsible for much of the horrifying footage seeping onto western social media.
As BBG’s reporter explains, Chinese citizen journalists Chen Qiushi and Fang Bin have effectively been “the world’s eyes and ears” inside Wuhan (much of the film produced by American news organizations has consisted of drone footage). In recent days, SCMP and other news organizations reporting on the ground and publishing in English have warned that Beijing has stepped up efforts to censor Chinese social media after allowing citizens to vent their frustrations and share news without the usual scrutiny.
On Wednesday, China said its censors would conduct “targeted supervision” on the largest social media platforms including Weibo, Tencent’s WeChat and ByteDance’s Douyin. All in an effort to mask the dystopian nightmare that life in cities like Wuhan has become.
But that brief period of informational amnesty is now over, apparently. Fang posted a dramatic video on Friday showing him being forcibly detained and dragged off to a ‘quarantine’. He was detained over a video showing corpses piled up in a Wuhan hospital. However, he has already been released.
Chen, meanwhile, seems to have vanished without a trace, and is believed to still be in government detention. Last week, we shared one of Chen’s more alarming videos documenting the severe medical supply shortages and outnumbered medical personnel fighting a ‘losing battle’ against the outbreak.
According to Zero Hedge sources, Chen’s mother has published a message on his twitter feed confirming that he is missing and his family has no insight into his whereabouts.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Rabobank: The Dilemma Facing China Is Truly Awful
Rabobank: The Dilemma Facing China Is Truly Awful
As has been the case since Monday’s sell-off, there is an attempt to try to look on the bright side of the virus headlines. Chinese officials are spreading the word globally that things are under control and that other countries should not be closing their borders to China, in line with the WHO recommendations that says that free-flows of people during a potential epidemic is completely fine.Of course, at home China is still under draconian lockdown, with tens of millions of people not allowed to leave their homes, and hundreds of millions more voluntarily following the same advice. Moreover, as a former Mexican ambassador to China publicly notes, when Mexico briefly suffered from H1N1 bird ‘flu back in 2009 China’s response was to ignore the WHO’s recommendations and: place all Mexican nationals in China under quarantine; cancel all direct flights to Mexico; stop issuing visas to Mexicans; and closed all its consulates in Mexico.
After having extended its Lunar New Year break, and yet with more cities and firms still shutting down than doing any re-opening, Beijing is starting to become cognizant of just how deep and serious the economic damage is going to be if this goes on much longer. We are, after all, talking about 80% of the economy, and 90% of exporters, simply not functioning. This is already seeing supply-chain knock-on effects for a swathe of global firms and this, very much like the virus itself, will snowball as time passes if nothing changes. For a country that was already seeing foreign firms talk about shifting production to other locations this is a problem. Thus, perhaps, some of the urgency in trying to stress that everything is returning to normal soon, and that the WHO advice is worth following – this time.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
The Dystopian Horror of Life Under Quarantine in China
The Dystopian Horror of Life Under Quarantine in China
The coronavirus is rapidly spreading through China despite efforts to slow it down and the lengths that the Chinese government is going to appear to be nothing short of dystopian. Millions upon millions of people have been quarantined or isolated, but the spread of the virus appears not to have slowed down.
Of course, the problem is, China has been so secretive we’re left to rely on leaked videos and desperate messages from anonymous sources to find out what’s actually happening. So while I believe the stories in this article are probably true, it’s important to note that it is impossible to vet these sources thoroughly.
China’s leader, Xi Jinping, has ordered a crackdown on anyone who is caught undermining efforts to contain the virus.
He also said that officials would take aim at those who resist epidemic prevention and control efforts, including by spreading false rumors. (source)
It wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to think that someone sharing information that Mr. Xi doesn’t want out could be accused of “spreading false rumors.” Anyone leaking information from China could potentially face dire consequences – and if they aren’t punished their families might be. With this in mind, it’s no surprise those who are sharing videos with the rest of the world want to remain anonymous.
What it’s like in Wuhan
One citizen journalist, Chen Qiushi, is reporting from inside Wuhan. You can follow him on Twitter here. To see the translations, simply click on a Tweet and the option to have it translated to English is available.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
