Coronavirus cases hit 100,000 as cruise ship fears grow

AFP / STR
In China -- where the virus first emerged late last year -- the number of new cases reported Saturday nationwide was the lowest in weeks

The number of cases from the new coronavirus topped 100,000 worldwide as official data Saturday showed a significant hit to Chinese exports after the deadly outbreak brought much of the country to a halt.

The World Health Organization called the spread of the virus "deeply concerning" as a wave of countries reported their first cases of the disease -- which has now killed nearly 3,500 people and infected more than 100,000 across 92 nations and territories.

The US was battling to contain an outbreak on a cruise ship where 21 people have tested positive for the virus.
AFP / Valentine GRAVELEAU
Impact of coronavirus on tourism


The Grand Princess has been stranded off San Francisco since Wednesday -- when it was supposed to dock -- after it emerged that two people who had been on the ship during its previous voyage had contracted the virus. One later died.

US Vice President Mike Pence said the ship will be brought to a non-commercial dock this weekend and all 3,533 passengers and crew will be tested.
CAROLYN WRIGHT/AFP / Handout
The Grand Princess has been stranded off San Francisco since Wednesday -- when it was supposed to dock

The Grand Princess belongs to Princess Cruises, the same company which operated the coronavirus-stricken ship held off Japan last month on which more than 700 people tested positive.

In China, where the outbreak began in December, the virus has wreaked havoc on the world's second-largest economy, shutting down businesses and disrupting global supply chains.

The negative impact was shown in official data Saturday, with China's exports plunging 17.2 percent in the first two months of the year.

- Global spread -

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged "that all countries make containment their highest priority."

A US pro-Israel lobby group said Friday that two people who took part in a Washington conference -- also attended by Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and dozens of lawmakers -- had tested positive for coronavirus.

AFP