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| Coronavirus latest updates: Australia initiates emergency plan as Trump says risk to US is 'very low' | Coronavirus latest updates: Australia initiates emergency plan as Trump says risk to US is 'very low' |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Losses on Asian stock markets mount as Saudi Arabia bans entry of religious pilgrims over virus fears. Follow our live news | Losses on Asian stock markets mount as Saudi Arabia bans entry of religious pilgrims over virus fears. Follow our live news |
| In Australia, the Victorian health minister Jenny Mikakos says hospitals have reported racism toward both medical staff and patients as fears of coronavirus grow. | |
| Mikakos told reporters at the Royal Children’s hospital in Melbourne on Thursday: | |
| “Fear and anxiety around this coronavirus is not an excuse for racist behaviour. We will not tolerate it here in our public hospitals. People cannot pick and choose the doctors and nurses that attend to them.” | |
| The director of emergency medicine at the Royal Children’s, Dr Stuart Lewena, said a member of their medical staff was told by the parents of a child they were treating last week that “they weren’t comfortable with her treating their child due to the risk of coronavirus, and it was clear that message was said on the basis of her race.” | |
| “We intervened on that stage to highlight to that family that message was not acceptable and we’ve been supporting that staff member.” | |
| Lewena said three other staff members at the hospital had since reported that they had also had racist remarks directed toward them about coronavirus, but they had just “tolerated it.” He said staff had been told not to tolerate those comments, and the hospital provided staff with scripts for how to respond to racism linked to the coronavirus. | |
| Lewena again: | |
| “Understandably if a person is confronted with such a message often words don’t come easily to hand. So we thought it would be useful to give our staff some example scripts where we could both acknowledge the stress and the anxiety and the paranoia underlying that comment, but nonetheless express in no uncertain terms that we viewed that comment as inappropriate, that the department fully supports our staff to continue treating that patient, and that we don’t want to tolerate what we see as racism.” | |
| OK we have sought confirmation and the plan announced by Austalia’s government today is this one, written about by my colleague Ben Doherty earlier this week. | |
| The emergency response plans says impact of the outbreak will be determined by: | |
| the clinical severity of the outbreak (how severe cases are, and many people need to be hospitalised) | |
| its transmissibility (how easily it is spread, currently it has a preliminary reproduction number of 1.4 to 2.5) | |
| the capacity of the health system to treat infected patients | |
| the effectiveness of interventions to treat the illness or stop it spreading | |
| There’s a question on economic impacts. | |
| “Obviously the impact of a breakdown in supply chains or travel or right across the many sectors, there will be an impact on the economy,” says Morrison. | |
| “And I anticipate it will have a very real effect.” | |
| “As I said, it’s a health crisis, not a financial crisis. But it’s a health crisis with very real economic impacts and the Government is extremely mindful of that and we want to be able to get our responses right. I can say, though, in terms of broader, larger, fiscal stimulus-type responses, that is not the advice we’re receiving from Treasury.” | |
| Q: Does Australia have sufficient quantities of medications like paracetamol. | |
| We have a national medicine stockpile, and there is are surveys and monitoring of any supply chain risks, says Hunt. | |
| Q: Will there be further extensions of the travel ban? | Q: Will there be further extensions of the travel ban? |
| A: It’s being monitored weekly, says Morrison. “The advice we received today was that on the balance of risks, further travel bans were not recommended.” | A: It’s being monitored weekly, says Morrison. “The advice we received today was that on the balance of risks, further travel bans were not recommended.” |
| Q: Will you be screening everyone off any flight, who looks sick? | Q: Will you be screening everyone off any flight, who looks sick? |
| A: “This is what we’ve tasked the Commissioner of Border Force to come with a plan for us.” | A: “This is what we’ve tasked the Commissioner of Border Force to come with a plan for us.” |
| Questions now, and the first one is: what does this plan mean in practical terms? | Questions now, and the first one is: what does this plan mean in practical terms? |
| Hunt: “The position in relation to quarantine powers actually came with the activation of the biosecurity act and the chief medical officer’s declaration on January 21. What this does is it now moves to a full preparation phase for all of the supply chains, the medicines, we’re working on national inventories and the national medical stockpile.” | Hunt: “The position in relation to quarantine powers actually came with the activation of the biosecurity act and the chief medical officer’s declaration on January 21. What this does is it now moves to a full preparation phase for all of the supply chains, the medicines, we’re working on national inventories and the national medical stockpile.” |
| Hunt will meet with the council of Australian governments tomorrow. | Hunt will meet with the council of Australian governments tomorrow. |
| The health minister Greg Hunt is explaining that the declaration in January by the country’s chief health officer, that this was a disease of pandemic potential, triggered a series of actions in Australia, including the engagement of various state and national bodies like the national critical care and trauma centre (which usually runs responses and deployments to overseas natural disasters). | The health minister Greg Hunt is explaining that the declaration in January by the country’s chief health officer, that this was a disease of pandemic potential, triggered a series of actions in Australia, including the engagement of various state and national bodies like the national critical care and trauma centre (which usually runs responses and deployments to overseas natural disasters). |
| As a quick aside, Morrison says the travel ban for China will continue, and will be monitored weekly. | As a quick aside, Morrison says the travel ban for China will continue, and will be monitored weekly. |
| We are well into this announcement by Morrison that Australia is getting ahead of the World Health Organisation and is implementing a pandemic response plan, despite the WHO not declaring a pandemic. | We are well into this announcement by Morrison that Australia is getting ahead of the World Health Organisation and is implementing a pandemic response plan, despite the WHO not declaring a pandemic. |
| He is yet to provide any detail of what this plan is, or how/if it will change anything for Australian people’s daily life. | He is yet to provide any detail of what this plan is, or how/if it will change anything for Australian people’s daily life. |
| When we have some, we’ll bring it to you. | When we have some, we’ll bring it to you. |
| While Morrison’s announcement has some sense of alarm to it, he is also reassuring people. | While Morrison’s announcement has some sense of alarm to it, he is also reassuring people. |
| “There is no need for us to be moving to having mass gatherings of people stop. You the football and the cricket and play with your friends down the street, you can go after the concert and you can go out for a Chinese meal. You can do all of these things becauseAustralia has acted quickly, Australia has gone ahead of this at this point in time. But to stay ahead of it we need to now elevate our response to the next phase.” | “There is no need for us to be moving to having mass gatherings of people stop. You the football and the cricket and play with your friends down the street, you can go after the concert and you can go out for a Chinese meal. You can do all of these things becauseAustralia has acted quickly, Australia has gone ahead of this at this point in time. But to stay ahead of it we need to now elevate our response to the next phase.” |
| The Australian Border Force commissioner will report to government “as possible on additional measures that would be required a tour various ports of entry to ensure we are able to identify any persons coming from wherever in the world that may require additional information in terms of being self quarantined or other forms of quarantine that may be necessary | The Australian Border Force commissioner will report to government “as possible on additional measures that would be required a tour various ports of entry to ensure we are able to identify any persons coming from wherever in the world that may require additional information in terms of being self quarantined or other forms of quarantine that may be necessary |
| The education minister will engage with state counterparts on the management of schools. | The education minister will engage with state counterparts on the management of schools. |
| An “even greater abundance of caution” is needed to take care of children, even though there’s no evidence they are any more at risk than other people. | An “even greater abundance of caution” is needed to take care of children, even though there’s no evidence they are any more at risk than other people. |
| The minister for home affairs will oversee “continuity” between states and federal governments. | The minister for home affairs will oversee “continuity” between states and federal governments. |
| Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has announced the implementation of a Coronavirus emergency response plan. | Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has announced the implementation of a Coronavirus emergency response plan. |
| “There is every indication the world will soon enter the pandemic phase of the virus,” he has just told reporters. | “There is every indication the world will soon enter the pandemic phase of the virus,” he has just told reporters. |
| “While the WHO is yet to declare the nature of the coronavirus and its move towards a pandemic phase, we believe the risk of a pandemic is very much upon us and we as a government need to take steps necessary to prepare for such a pandemic.” | “While the WHO is yet to declare the nature of the coronavirus and its move towards a pandemic phase, we believe the risk of a pandemic is very much upon us and we as a government need to take steps necessary to prepare for such a pandemic.” |
| The move comes after the national security committee met on Thursday. The rate of transmission outside of China is “fundamentally changing” the way authorities in Australia need to manage the issue, Morrison said. | The move comes after the national security committee met on Thursday. The rate of transmission outside of China is “fundamentally changing” the way authorities in Australia need to manage the issue, Morrison said. |
| Australia’s health minister, Greg Hunt earlier told the country’s parliament that they were as well-prepared as anywhere else. | Australia’s health minister, Greg Hunt earlier told the country’s parliament that they were as well-prepared as anywhere else. |
| “The arc of the virus continues to expand,” he said, noting the growing list of countries diagnosing cases. | “The arc of the virus continues to expand,” he said, noting the growing list of countries diagnosing cases. |
| “We are not immune but we are well prepared.” | “We are not immune but we are well prepared.” |
| The Australian prime minister and health authorities will have a detailed update shortly. The country has more than 20 cases, including a number from the Diamond Princess cruiseship, but no community transmissions. | The Australian prime minister and health authorities will have a detailed update shortly. The country has more than 20 cases, including a number from the Diamond Princess cruiseship, but no community transmissions. |
| Via the AP, South Korea has followed China in expressing dismay at travel restrictions imposed by other countries. | Via the AP, South Korea has followed China in expressing dismay at travel restrictions imposed by other countries. |
| About 40 nations and regions so far have prohibited or restricted South Korean visitors, according to Lee Lee Tae-ho, Seoul’s second vice minister of foreign affairs, who described such moves as excessive and said his government has been effectively utilising its world-best quarantine capabilities. | About 40 nations and regions so far have prohibited or restricted South Korean visitors, according to Lee Lee Tae-ho, Seoul’s second vice minister of foreign affairs, who described such moves as excessive and said his government has been effectively utilising its world-best quarantine capabilities. |
| But calls have grown inside South Korea for expanding its own entry ban, which currently covers only visitors from China’s Hubei province, where Wuhan is the capital. | But calls have grown inside South Korea for expanding its own entry ban, which currently covers only visitors from China’s Hubei province, where Wuhan is the capital. |
| China has put Wuhan and nearby cities on lockdown, many airlines have reduced Chinese flights, and many places have increased monitoring of arrivals from China, all resulting in far few Chinese arrivals around the globe. Lee said the inflow of Chinese into South Korea has been reduced by more than 80%. | China has put Wuhan and nearby cities on lockdown, many airlines have reduced Chinese flights, and many places have increased monitoring of arrivals from China, all resulting in far few Chinese arrivals around the globe. Lee said the inflow of Chinese into South Korea has been reduced by more than 80%. |
| On Wednesday evening, local time, US president Donald Trump indicated he was considering further travel restrictions on people from countries with outbreaks - adding to those already in place for travellers from China - but said now was not the right time. | On Wednesday evening, local time, US president Donald Trump indicated he was considering further travel restrictions on people from countries with outbreaks - adding to those already in place for travellers from China - but said now was not the right time. |
| Hello and welcome to our continuing coverage of the coronavirus. | Hello and welcome to our continuing coverage of the coronavirus. |
| Here’s a quick summary of the latest developments. If you’re looking for more detail you can catch up with the earlier blog over here. | Here’s a quick summary of the latest developments. If you’re looking for more detail you can catch up with the earlier blog over here. |
| China’s health authority has reported another drop in the number of new cases. There were 433 new confirmed cases and 29 deaths in mainland China on Wednesday. | China’s health authority has reported another drop in the number of new cases. There were 433 new confirmed cases and 29 deaths in mainland China on Wednesday. |
| There are 334 new cases in South Korea, mostly in Daegu. | There are 334 new cases in South Korea, mostly in Daegu. |
| Pakistan, Georgia, Norway, North Macedonia, Greece and Romania are among countries to report their first case of coronavirus in the last day. | |
| US vice-president Mike Pence will lead and coordinate the US’s response to the coronavirus. | US vice-president Mike Pence will lead and coordinate the US’s response to the coronavirus. |
| President Donald Trump said the risk to Americans is “very low” but that plans are in place for a spread of the virus, which he doesn’t think is inevitable, in contradiction to US health authorities who expect to see more cases. | President Donald Trump said the risk to Americans is “very low” but that plans are in place for a spread of the virus, which he doesn’t think is inevitable, in contradiction to US health authorities who expect to see more cases. |
| Anne Schuchat, deputy director of the US CDC, said “the trajectory of what we are looking at over the weeks and months ahead is very uncertain”, and authorities should “dust off” their pandemic preparedness plans. | Anne Schuchat, deputy director of the US CDC, said “the trajectory of what we are looking at over the weeks and months ahead is very uncertain”, and authorities should “dust off” their pandemic preparedness plans. |
| US secretary of health and human services, Alex Azar, says “we can expect to see more cases in the US”, and while containment is working, “the degree of risk can change quickly”. | US secretary of health and human services, Alex Azar, says “we can expect to see more cases in the US”, and while containment is working, “the degree of risk can change quickly”. |
| The National Institute of Health said a vaccine is at least 12-18 months away, so will not help this current outbreak, but may assist a seasonal return. The answer right now is containment. | The National Institute of Health said a vaccine is at least 12-18 months away, so will not help this current outbreak, but may assist a seasonal return. The answer right now is containment. |
| Trump said “it’s not the right time” to extend travel restrictions to other affected countries like Italy and South Korea. | Trump said “it’s not the right time” to extend travel restrictions to other affected countries like Italy and South Korea. |
| Stock markets in Asia saw mounting losses on Thursday’s open. | Stock markets in Asia saw mounting losses on Thursday’s open. |
| Prestigious sporting events are at risk, with organisers of the Six Nations, the Cheltenham Festival, the Giro d’Italia, Euro 202 and the Tokyo Olympics all monitoring the situation. | Prestigious sporting events are at risk, with organisers of the Six Nations, the Cheltenham Festival, the Giro d’Italia, Euro 202 and the Tokyo Olympics all monitoring the situation. |
| A number of countries have extended travel bans due to virus fears, including Fiji, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. About 40 nations and regions so far have prohibited or restricted South Korean visitors, according to Lee Lee Tae-ho, Seoul’s second vice minister of foreign affairs. | A number of countries have extended travel bans due to virus fears, including Fiji, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. About 40 nations and regions so far have prohibited or restricted South Korean visitors, according to Lee Lee Tae-ho, Seoul’s second vice minister of foreign affairs. |