The Center for Health Security will be analyzing and providing
update
s
on
the emerging novel cor
on
avirus. If you would like to receive these daily
update
s, please
sign up here
and select COVID-19. Additi
on
al resources are also available
on
our
website
.
March 3, 2020
Note: although we include case counts to help provide situational awareness to our readers, the numbers are constantly changing. Please refer to the WHO or the public health agencies of the affected countries for the latest information.
WESTERN PACIFIC REGION
The Chinese National Health Commission
reported
125 new confirmed cases and 31 new deaths; all of the deaths have occurred in Hubei Province. There have been a total of 80,151 confirmed cases in China and 2,943 deaths. There has been a consistent decline in the number of new cases confirmed daily in China, suggesting a slowing in local transmission. However, there have been 8
cases
confirmed in individuals with travel history to Italy. The Japanese Ministry of Health
reported
14 new confirmed infections, bringing the total there to 268 confirmed cases, of which 241 are symptomatic and 27 asymptomatic. South Korea Centers for Disease Control
confirmed
600 new cases, bringing the total there to 4,812. Of the newly reported cases, 519 are in Daegu. In other news, South Korea CDC has
released
a table detailing the epidemiological links between the 4,812 confirmed cases.
MIDDLE EASTERN REGION
The Iranian Ministry of Health
confirmed
835 new cases and 11 new deaths, bringing the total reported there to 2,336 confirmed cases and 77 deaths. 23 new
cases
in Iran are among Members of Parliament; members are now being directed to avoid contact with the public. The Ministry of Health
reported
that 22 labs are capable of conducting testing for SARS-CoV-2 with a combined estimated throughput of 1,200 tests per day. The World Health Organization Mission
arrived
in Tehran to provide technical guidance and review ongoing response activities. Thus far cases from Iran have been exported to Afghanistan, Canada, Lebanon, Pakistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates.
Jordan
,
Morocco
, and
Saudi Arabia
have confirmed their first cases of COVID-19. The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia confirmed its first case of COVID-19 in traveler from the Kingdom of Bahrain who had previously traveled to Iran. The Jordanian Ministry of Health confirmed its first case of COVID-19 in a traveler from Italy. The first case of COVID-19 in Morocco is an individual with travel history to Italy.
EUROPEAN REGION
The European Centers for Disease Control
reported
a total of 2,495 cases and 56 deaths. The majority of the cases are in Italy which has
reported
1,835 cases and 52 deaths overall. The health system in Italy is becoming overwhelmed by the increased numbers of patients and demands for more intensive care. According to Italian
health officials
, 10% of healthcare workers are unable to work due to either testing positive for the virus or being placed under quarantine following an exposure. Interventions such as accelerated graduation for students and bringing clinicians out of retirement are being considered in order to bolster the public health response.
Andorra
,
Gibraltar
,
Portugal
, and
Ukraine
are each reporting new cases. The first case in Andorra is a 20 year old female with travel history to Milan. The Ukraine Health Ministry has confirmed its first case of COVID-19 in a traveler from Romania who had previously been in Italy. The two initial cases in Portugal are among a traveler from Italy and from a traveler from Spain. The confirmed case in the British territory of Gibraltar is a returned traveler from Northern Italy.
The ECDC
released
an estimation of the amount of resources that could be needed for contact tracing, quarantine, and monitoring activities associated with the EU COVID-19 response. The guidance outlines the amount of time and human and material resources needed to prepare for different public health response capabilities, and provides additional insight on scenarios with increased transmission.
REGION OF THE AMERICAS
The most recent WHO situation update
reports
that the Dominican Republic had identified the first case of the disease there, and that Mexico has seen three new cases, bringing the country’s total to 5 confirmed cases. The Ecuadorian Minister of Health
reported
yesterday that their total cases have increased to 6.
US UPDATE
As of
this morning
, 15 US states have reported a total of over 100 cases, including 6 deaths in Washington. Texas, Washington state, California, and Nebraska are all reporting over 10 cases each, including those evacuated from Wuhan or the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The greater Seattle region has become the first big hotspot of disease transmission in the United States, and there have been
discussions
amongst city officials on strategies to develop quarantine facilities that can house future patients.
The United States is still working to ramp up their testing capacity, an essential element of disease detection. A
tweet
from the Association of Public Health Laboratories shared that, as of 4PM EST yesterday, that 46 US labs were live with testing and that 12 more were in the process of coming online. Yesterday, New York governor Andrew Cuomo
announced
that New York health insurers must waive the cost sharing that comes with COVID-19 testing. The US CDC has
released
additional guidance for citizens, including protective actions one can take at polling stations during today’s ‘Super Tuesday’ primary elections.
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Italy
and
Indonesia
have introduced stimulus packages in an attempt to increase liquidity of the financial system. The
United States
and
European Union
are also considering similar measures while acknowledging the complexities of the decision. These measures can aid in bolstering consumer spending during times of decreased demand. The US Federal Reserve
cut
interest rates by half a point in an attempt to shield the economy from the impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic.
|
|
