The governments of the world intensify preparations to confront «Corona»

Yesterday, governments around the world intensified their measures to confront the looming Corona epidemic with the increasing number of cases outside China, the source of the outbreak, for the first time, beyond the rise inside the country.

Australia launched emergency measures, and Taiwan raised the level of the epidemic response to the highest degree, a day after US President Donald Trump tasked Vice President Mike Pence with the US response to the looming global health crisis.

The United States and South Korea have postponed joint military exercises to curb the outbreak of the virus, which spread out of China, where it originated late last year, apparently at a wild animal market in Wuhan.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that his country, which had recorded 23 cases, was already operating on the basis of a pandemic, and hospitals had received orders to provide adequate medical supplies and personal protective equipment to workers.

"All indications are that the world is on the verge of an epidemic of the Corona virus," Morrison said at a press conference in Canberra.

"As a result, we agreed today on an emergency response plan for the Coruna virus, and we have started to implement it," he added.

The virus has infected more than 80,000 people and claimed about 2,800 lives, the vast majority of them in China. Not much is known about the virus, but the implications of disrupting the world's second largest economy for a month or more are clear.

The rapid spread of the virus in different regions, including Italy, Iran and South Korea, in recent days, is similar to the definition of the global epidemic, adding to the concern.

According to Reuters statistics, there are 3,246 cases outside China, including 51 deaths.

According to media reports, Denmark confirmed the first case of a man who returned from a skiing vacation in Italy, and Estonia announced the first case of a man returning from Iran.

Brazil confirmed the first injury in Latin America, on Wednesday, while many other countries, including Pakistan, Romania and Algeria, announced the first cases.

China recorded 433 new cases yesterday, compared to 406 cases the day before.

South Korea registered 334 new cases, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 1,595, the largest number outside China.

"There is an opportunity that the situation will worsen dramatically," the US president said during a press conference Wednesday evening.

"But nothing is excluded," he added, and assigned his deputy, Mike Pence, to coordinate the fight against the emerging coronavirus in the United States.

He added that although the recorded cases are limited to 60 injuries, the United States is ready to face the epidemic "on a larger level", adding that he will decide "at the appropriate time" to impose new restrictions to and from the affected areas.

The US State Department issued a new travel warning for South Korea, after the US military announced on Wednesday its first case of injury, a 23-year-old soldier stationed in the South Korean city of Daegu.

The South Korean army also announced the injury of a number of its members.

The Chinese authorities said the number of new deaths reached 29 yesterday, the lowest daily rate since January 28. The virus has killed 2,744 people in China so far, most of them in Hubei province.

Italy announced 100 new cases, bringing the total number of infected to more than 400 in the largest outbreak in Europe, with 12 deaths.

Many cases in the Middle East were linked to Iran, which said yesterday that the number of deaths due to the emerging corona virus had risen to 26, the highest number outside China, and that the total number of infected was 245.

"During the past 24 hours, we have monitored 106 confirmed (new) cases ... the number of deaths has reached 26," Health Ministry spokesman Kyanosh Jahanpour told state television.

Iraq reported six cases and the first in the capital, Baghdad, for a man who was in Iran. Iraq banned public gatherings, and the entry of travelers from Kuwait and Bahrain, due to the spread of the virus.

In Geneva, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, urged the international community to show solidarity with people of Asian descent, who are discriminated against amid the spread of the emerging Corona virus.

The number of deaths due to the Corona virus in Iran reaches 26.

South Korea surpasses China in the number of new cases of coronavirus.