New Zealand confirmed its first coronavirus case on Friday, a person who returned from Iran.
Source: Coronavirus: New Zealand, Nigeria report first cases, China’s death toll over 2,700
5:40 pm: Switzerland bans large-scale events to prevent spread of coronavirus
The Swiss government has moved to ban events expected to gather crowds of more than 1,000 people to help tackle the spread of the coronavirus.
“In view of the current situation and the spread of the coronavirus, the Federal Council has categorised the situation in Switzerland as ‘special’ in terms of the Epidemics Act,” the cabinet said in a statement.
“Large-scale events involving more than 1000 people are to be banned. The ban comes into immediate effect and will apply at least until 15 March.”
As of Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported one confirmed case of COVID-19 in Switzerland. — Meredith
6:40 pm: Iranian health minister reports death toll rises to 34, total number of coronavirus cases at 388
A spokesperson for Iran’s health ministry has confirmed 34 people have died because of coronavirus infections, Reuters reported on Friday, citing an announcement on state television.
The total number of infections in the country has climbed to 388, the spokesperson added.
Iran is at the epicenter of the outbreak in the Middle East, having recorded the highest number of coronavirus fatalities outside China. — Meredith
Germany reportedly quarantines 1,000 people at home as coronavirus cases spread
German media reported on Friday that around 1,000 people have been quarantined at home in the west German town of Heinsberg.
It is thought to be a precautionary measure as part of efforts to contain the outbreak of the fast-spreading coronavirus.
As of Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) had confirmed 21 cases of COVID-19 in Germany, with no deaths. Germany has the second-largest number of cases of the deadly flu-like virus in Europe.
Italy has confirmed 400 cases of the coronavirus so far, with 12 deaths. — Meredith
12:40 pm: Odds of a coronavirus pandemic have doubled to 40%, says Moody’s Analytics
With cases of the new coronavirus disease rising quickly beyond China, the odds of the outbreak turning into a pandemic have now doubled — from 20% to 40%, Moody’s Analytics said in a report.
Our previous assumption that the virus will be contained in China proved optimistic, and the odds of a pandemic are rising,” wrote economists from the research and consultancy arm of Moody’s Corporation.
They had earlier predicted a 20% chance of a pandemic. — Lee
11:03 am: South Korea culture minister asks religious groups to suspend services
Yonhap News Agency reported that South Korea’s culture minister has asked groups “to refrain from any religious services and gatherings for a while” in order to limit the further spread of the new coronavirus.
The report comes as a large portion of cases in South Korea have been traced back to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the city of Daegu. — Wang
10:30 am: Nigeria confirms first case
Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health confirmed the country’s first case of the new coronavirus. The agency said the case was confirmed Thursday in Lagos State. — Wang
The Federal Ministry of Health has confirmed a coronavirus(Covid-19) case in Lagos State Nigeria. The case which was confirmed on 27/02/2020 is the first case to be reported in Nigeria since the beginning of the outbreak in China in January 2020 @WHO @BBCWorld #CoronaVirusUpdates pic.twitter.com/uF79NYzvAz
— Federal Ministry of Health, NIGERIA (@Fmohnigeria) February 27, 2020
6:03 pm: CDC to test more suspected cases after revising guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it revised its guidelines to allow clinicians across the U.S. to test more people suspected of carrying the new coronavirus. Under the prior federal guidelines, clinicians could test suspected COVID-19 patients if they had traveled recently from China or had been in contact with someone known to be infected. Some lawmakers criticized the CDC’s previous guidance as too restrictive. The new guidelines, which were posted to the CDC’s website Thursday, appear to place more power in the hands of local health practitioners to determine who should get tested. — Feuer
Goldman Sachs asks some clients to skip New York conference
Goldman Sachs is asking customers to skip a conference hosted by its investment bank next week if they’ve recently traveled to countries worst hit by the coronavirus. The warning, for Goldman’s eighth annual housing and consumer finance conference held at the bank’s New York headquarters, was just added to the event’s registration website. “In light of the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, Goldman Sachs has enacted several precautionary measures to ensure the wellbeing of our clients and our people,” the bank said. — Son
