Coronavirus updates: Trump appoints task force to deal with outbreak

• Germany’s health minister says the country is facing a “coronavirus epidemic”
• Brazil confirms the first infection in South America
• Trump sets up a coronavirus task force, putting Vice President Mike Pence in charge of it.
• The death toll in China has jumped to more than 2,700 people. More than 80,000 people have contracted the virus around the globe.

All updates in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC/GMT).

02:00 South Korea reported 334 new cases. The total number of cases has now risen to 1,595. Daegu, one of the country’s biggest cities, reported most of the new cases. 

01:50 The United States State Department has also raised the alert level for South Korea and has asked American travelers to “reconsider travelling”.

01:42 United States and South Korea have postponed joint military exercises, having previously planned to scale them back. 

01:38 China reported 433 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday. The country’s new death toll stands at 2,774 people.

01:30 Here’s an update of the situation in Germany. So far, there are 21 reported cases in four states, with 13 patients cured. No one has died. Fourteen of the cases were in Bavaria, and were among the first anywhere outside China, related to the auto parts supplier Webasto and a visiting Chinese colleague. On Wednesday, Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn set up a crisis team and said that the country was “at the beginning of an epidemic.” 

01:00 A crew member of Korean Air who was on flights to Los Angeles has tested positive.

00:32 Saudi Arabia has suspended entry for pilgrims wanting to visit Mecca. 

00:20 119 Indians, along with five people from Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa and Peru, land in Delhi from Tokyo, after a quarantine period of over 20 days on the coronavirus-hit Japanese cruise ship Diamond Princess, Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S Jaishankar said on Twitter.

00:05 Trump also appointed Vice President Mike Pence as head of a task force which will respond to the coronavirus outbreak. “Mike is going to be in charge and Mike will report back to me,” Trump said. 

23:58 Trump said he would boost the funds to deal with coronavirus to “whatever’s appropriate,” mentioning the ongoing debate in Congress on how much to spend. The White House request for $2.5 billion (€2.3 billion) has already been approved, although leading Democrats including Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer had said it was insufficient. 

23:47 Trump went on to talk about the 15 US citizens currently identified as having the virus. “Of the 15 people, eight of them have returned to their homes until fully recovered, one is in the hospital, one is fully recovered and one is, we think, in pretty good shape.” That last patient was in the process of leaving the hospital and heading home. 

Trump said coronavirus ‘could impact’ US gross domestic product but the effect ‘cannot really be determined’

23:44 “Because of all we have done, the risk to the American people remains very low,” he said. “We are ready to adapt and we are ready to do whatever we have to as the disease spreads, if it spreads”

23:42 “The number one priority from our standpoint is the health and safety of the American people,” says Trump. 

23:40 US President Donald Trump starts addressing media on coronavirus.

23:36 US carrier Delta Air Lines is reducing its flights to South Korea while Hawaiian Airlines will stop them entirely. 

23:32 Bahrain has suspended flights to and from Iraq and Lebanon, as the number of cases in the tiny country reaches 26.

23:30  The President of Italy’s northern region of Lombardy, Attilio Fontana, has announced he would self-quarantine after one of his staff members tested positive.

23:20 With Iran reporting 19 deaths and 139 infections, neighboring states Afghanistan and Pakistan have swung into action to mitigate a potential health crisis. Islamabad has closed its official border crossings and Kabul has suspended all travel to Iran. Pakistan on wednesday confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus. 

Read more: Coronavirus: How can I protect myself from infection?

dvv/msh (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

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