China reports 508 more virus cases, S Korea has 60 more

Meanwhile, Washington and Seoul are considering scaling back command post training due to heightened concerns about the coronavirus, which has reportedly infected at least 13 in the South Korean military.

More than 28,000 US soldiers are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against potential threats from North Korea.

Here are the latest updates:

Tuesday, February 25

Thailand reports two new virus cases, bringing total to 37

Thailand confirmed two new cases of the coronavirus, a senior health official said, bringing the total infections in the country to 37.

Both of the new cases are Thai nationals, Sukhum Kanchanapimai, the health ministry’s permanent secretary told a news conference on Tuesday.

One patient is a female, 31, and has a family member with a history of traveling from China, Sukhum said adding that officials are investigating the rest of the family.

“The second, is a 29, male driver for Chinese tourists,” he added. A total of 22 patients have been discharged and 15 are still being treated.

All 16 of Vietnam’s coronavirus sufferers cured

All 16 people in Vietnam infected with a new coronavirus have been cured, the health ministry said on Tuesday, adding that no new cases have been recorded since February 13.

The last known patient, a 50-year-old man infected by his daughter who returned from China’s central city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged, has recovered and is in good condition, the ministry said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear when the last patient would be discharged from hospital.

The rest, including a three-month-old baby, are improving, the ministry added.

Vietnam’s first report of the virus was about two Chinese citizens infected on January 23.

Bahrain temporarily stops Dubai, Sharjah flights over virus

The tiny island nation of Bahrain suspended flights on Tuesday to the world’s busiest airport for international travel in Dubai over fears about the spread of the new virus.

The move by Bahrain, a small island off the coast of Saudi Arabia, suggested its monarchy had doubts about screenings of incoming passengers in Dubai and nearby Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. It said the ban was immediate and would last at least 48 hours.

Bahrain counted its first case of coronavirus on Monday in a school bus driver who transited Dubai while coming from Iran. Later, it confirmed a second case, also a traveler from Iran via Dubai.

Philippines flying back Diamond Princess crew members

The Philippine government has started repatriating hundreds of Filipinos, who are working aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, docked in Japan.

Manila has dispatched two chartered Philippine Airlines flights to pick up the crew members, who have been stranded in a port in Yokohama, after hundreds of people were infected with coronavirus aboard the vessel.

Those Filipinos who have been infected, will not be among those who will be flown back, but will instead stay in Japan for treatment.

A fourth passenger from the cruise ship Diamond Princess moored in Japan has died from the coronavirus, NHK public television said on Tuesday. The passenger was in their 80s, NHK said.

Japan has come under fire for its handling of the situation on the cruise ship, which is operated by Carnival Corp and where hundreds became infected.

The number of patients is rising around Japan, with the government set to announce a set of measures to combat it later on Tuesday.

S Korea reports 60 new coronavirus cases, raising total to 893

South Korea reported 60 new cases of the coronavirus, increasing the total number of infected patients in the country to 893, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Tuesday.

Of the new cases, 16 were in the southeastern city of Daegu, where a church that was at the centre of the outbreak is located, and 33 from North Gyeongsang province, KCDC said.

US, South Korea weigh scaling back training over coronavirus concerns

The US and South Korean military are considering scaling back command post training due to heightened concerns about the coronavirus, the defence ministers of both countries have announced.

“I’m sure that we will remain fully ready to deal with any threats that we will face together,” Mark Esper, the US defence secretary, told a news conference, standing alongside his South Korean counterpart at the Pentagon.

Trump says coronavirus under control in the US

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the coronavirus was under control in the United States, and added that he thought the stock market, which tumbled on Monday on worries about the fast-spreading disease, was “starting to look very good to me”.

“The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA,” Trump, who is visiting India, said on Twitter.

“We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!” he said.

Kuwait suspends flights to and from Iraq: state news agency

Kuwait’s civil aviation authority has suspended all its flights to and from Iraq over fears about the coronavirus, state news agency KUNA reported.

The statement was issued under the Kuwaiti health ministry’s instructions.

Impact on economy could be ‘very strong’: Italy’s PM Conte

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the economy could be “very strong”.

“The economic impact could be very strong. At this moment we can calculate that there will be a negative economic impact, we are not yet in a position to forecast what will happen,” he told reporters.