Coronavirus UPDATE – 6,057 confirmed cases, 132 dead, Wednesday 11.30am

The Coronavirus has now infected a confirmed 6,057 people who are undergoing treatment, and the death toll has reached 132. 125 of those deaths are isolated to Hubei Province in central China. The largest city of Hubei is Wuhan, the epicentre of the current outbreak which first came to light in mid-December last year at a fresh meat market.

Germany now has four confirmed cases, all of them employees at a Bavarian company visited by a Chinese colleague. Germany’s southern Bavaria health ministry reported yesterday that it had detected a further three cases, following that of a 33 year old German man announced earlier in the day. Next door in France, an elderly Chinese tourist in a “serious condition” in a Paris hospital – France’s fourth confirmed case of the new coronavirus.

Thailand’s health ministry has now confirmed 14 cases of coronavirus, the second-most of any country behind China. Dr. Suhum Kanchanapimai, the Public health permanent secretary, confirmed that five of the six confirmed cases were members of the same Chinese family who had travelled from Hubei province together. The sixth, also a Chinese tourist, came from Chongqing, south west of Hubei in central China.

Thailand’s health minister Anutin Charnvirakul yesterday stated that the Thai government is “not able to stop the spread” of coronavirus in the country, according to Sky News. The Thai government now estimates that around 22,000 tourists from Wuhan entered Thailand so far this month, possibly exposing vast numbers of people to the virus. But most of the detected patients are recovering from the virus and many have already gone home. There has been no reported deaths from the virus outside China.

Bangkok businesses are now attempting to combat the spread of the disease around the capital by placing thermal scanners at the entrances to shopping malls and assigning workers to give out disinfectant to visitors. Many Bangkokians are now resorting to wearing a face mask as they move around the city. But at this stage all but one of the cases have been Chinese visitors from Wuhan. The one Thai who has contracted the virus, and has since recovered, visited Wuhan at the start of January.

The coronavirus has now spread to over a dozen countries, including the US where the Centres for Disease Control has confirmed five cases and monitoring more than 100 others.

Over in the US, health officials are working to prevent a further outbreak while developing treatments and preventative countermeasures. No vaccine exists at this stage as a prevention for the novel coronavirus.

Fifteen additional US airports are now screening for travellers who may might be infected. Officials say the purpose of expanding screenings from 5 up to 20 airports is to identify passengers returning from China that may be infected, and to educate travellers about symptoms of the coronavirus so that individuals can seek medical attention if they suspect they may be infected.