Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: Israel today confirmed its first case of the deadly virus. Meanwhile, China on Friday said it would reinsert previously removed cases from its coronavirus tally in the province at the centre of the epidemic after an earlier revision created “doubt” around the data. The decision is the latest in a string of changes to the counting method used in Hubei over the past nine days — revisions that have further complicated efforts to track the spread of the illness. The new coronavirus has infected 234 people in two prisons outside the province at the centre of the epidemic and top officials deemed responsible for the outbreaks have been fired, authorities said on Friday.
The infections found in the two jails, in the northern province of Shandong and the eastern province of Zhejiang, made up most of the 258 newly confirmed cases on Thursday outside the central province of Hubei, where the most cases have occurred. Hubei province on Friday also revised up its total number of confirmed infection cases by 220 to account for cases in the province’s prison system. It did not say when the cases had been diagnosed.
Meanwhile, two Australians evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship have tested positive for coronavirus on their return home, despite being cleared in Japan, authorities said Friday. “We have two people who are positive for the COVID-19 virus. Those two people have mild illness,” said Dianne Stephens, acting chief health officer for the Northern Territories.
Health officials in Canberra told AFP all 164 Australians who returned home earlier this week “were tested for COVID-19 in Japan and returned negative results”.
A total of six Australian evacuees have now been retested and the two — described as “an older person” and “a younger person” — tested positive.
The Australian officials stressed that the development of some positive cases among cleared evacuees was “not unexpected”, given the continued spread of the disease onboard after testing began.
Hundreds of people have been allowed to leave the ship after being cleared of having the virus, and many have returned to their home countries to face further quarantine.
Hundreds more Japanese passengers were also cleared and warned only to “stay at home unless absolutely necessary,” to “never use public” transport and use a mask if they do venture out.
An eruption of new virus cases in South Korea, Iran and Chinese hospitals and prisons rekindled concerns Friday about the spread of a deadly disease that has killed more than 2,200 people.
The World Health Organization warned nations they could face a serious problem if they fail to “hit hard now” against the new coronavirus, which has infected more than 75,000 in China and over 1,100 abroad.
China pointed to official numbers showing a drop in new cases this week as evidence that its drastic containment measures are working, but fresh cases emerged at two Beijing hospitals and more than 200 other cases in two prisons.
Meanwhile, in Odisha, the residents of Bhadrak district expressed concern that the crew members of the two Hong Kong ships that anchored at the Dhamra Port two days ago might have been exposed to the deadly coronavirus.
Assuaging their concern, Bhadrak Additional District Magistrate Shyambhakt Mishra said the crew had undergone screening for the virus and there was no reason to panic. “I have also spoken to Dhamra Port Company Ltd (DPCL) authorities on the matter,” he said.
The port authorities made it clear that the crew members will not be allowed to disembark from the ship as they do not have immigration passes. They said the ship will leave the port after loading shipment.
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