Outside China, the Coronavirus Outbreak just Begins

The death toll from the new coronavirus in mainland China rose by 97 to 1,113 on Tuesday. However, outside of China, the COVID-19 outbreak is predicted to have just started.

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A health worker scans the temperature of a foreign tourist on Wednesday (12/2/2020) at Mataram Port in North Lombok regency, West Nusa Tenggara. A joint team comprising the Mataram Port Health Office, the Pemenang Port Authority, the North Lombok Health Office, the Indonesian Navy and the National Police, have been screening new arrivals in Mataram since Monday (10/2/2020) to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The popular resort island of Lombok has not recorded any cases of COVID-19 infection to date.

SINGAPORE, WEDNESDAY — The outbreak of the killer new coronavirus or COVID-19 is expected to reach its peak in China and to terminate at the end of the month. However, outside of China, the COVID-19 outbreak is predicted to have just started.

Dale Fisher, the chair of the Global Outbreak Alert Response Network at the World Health Organization (WHO), said on Wednesday (12/2/2020) in Singapore that the new coronavirus had spread outside China. In these places, the coronavirus has just begun.

WHO announced the official name of the disease caused by the new coronavirus as COVID-19. The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named the new coronavirus the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

On Wednesday, China reported 2,015 new cases of infection, lower than Monday and Tuesday. On Monday there were 3,062 new cases, while on Tuesday there were 2,478 new cases of infection. According to data, as of Wednesday, the death toll from the new coronavirus in mainland China rose by 97 to 1,113 on Tuesday.

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Health workers scan passengers aboard a tourist on Wednesday (12/2/2020) at Mataram Port in North Lombok regency, West Nusa Tenggara. A joint team comprising the Mataram Port Health Office, the Pemenang Port Authority, the North Lombok Health Office, the Indonesian Navy and the National Police, have been screening new arrivals in Mataram since Monday (10/2/2020) to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The increase of new cases in a day on Wednesday was the lowest since Jan. 30. Based on this trend, China\'s National Health Adviser, Zhong Nanshan, estimates the COVID-19 epidemic could subside by the end of April.

In contrast to what happened in China, according to Fisher, in Singapore the outbreak is estimated to have just started. Singapore reported 47 cases of COVID-19. The country\'s largest bank, DBS, on Wednesday evacuated 300 staff after one infection case was identified at its headquarters.

The chief medical officer of Australia Brendan Murphy said that the optimistic estimates regarding the COVID-19 outbreak were too premature. "We have to look at the data in the next few weeks before issuing predictions," he told ABC.

Singapore reported 47 cases of COVID-19.

Hundreds of infections have been reported in more than 20 countries or territories outside mainland China. Of the people infected with the disease outside China, there are two deaths, namely in Hong Kong and the Philippines.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo spoke by telephone with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday night (11/2/2020). Not only conveying sympathy and condolences for victims of the new coronavirus, Jokowi also expressed readiness to help.

On Wednesday, in the State Palace, Jakarta, Jokowi said he told Xi that Indonesia and China were in a difficult time. He also said that Indonesia was confident that China could immediately resolve the corona virus problem.

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Evacuees from Wuhan, China, exercise on Thursday (6/2/2020) outside the hangar of Raden Sadjad Air Base in Natuna regency, Riau Islands, where they have been quarantined for a week since their arrival on Sunday (2/2/2020).

Collaboration

The deputy head of the translational research at the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, David Handojo Muljono, said collaboration between research institutions is needed in detecting COVID-19 so that the examination could be carried out faster and more precise. The results of the examination of specimens from supervised patients need further monitoring. Although the examination has given results, positive or negative, it still needs to be confirmed in different laboratories.

In a release issued by the Health Ministry, the head of the Center for Research and Development of Biomedical and Basic Technology for Health Research and Development, Vivi Setiawaty said, specimens from patients under COVID-19 surveillance were examined at the Balitbangkes laboratory as a national reference laboratory. "The examination in accordance with WHO. Specimen collection is not done once, but several specimens in one patient," he said.

In West Pasaman, West Sumatra, a resident died allegedly due to the MERS-CoV virus. He died on Friday at the West Pasaman Hospital. The head of the West Pasaman health office, Jon Hardi, said the victim returned from Umrah (minor haj) on Thursday (6/2/2020). After arriving at the Minangkabau International Airport, Padang Pariaman, he returned home in Langgam, suffering from cough, fever and shortness of breath. Before being examined again, the victim died in the hospital.

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Medical workers in personal protective equipment wheel a “patient” during an emergency drill on Wednesday (12/2/2020) at Sanglah Central General Hospital (RSUP) in Denpasar, Bali. RSUP Sanglah is one of three state hospitals in Bali that have been designated as referral hospitals for admitting and treating coronavirus patients.

( A F P/A P/ R E U T E R S / I N A / TA N/A D H /AT O/J O L )