WHO director offers praise to Facebook and Instagram for ‘playing their part’
The Director-General of the World Health Organization commended Facebook and Instagram in a tweet Saturday for “stepping up and playing their part” in making sure equipment is reserved for those who most need it in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.
Facebook’s head of ads and business products said Friday that the social media giant is banning ads and commerce listings for medical masks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend masks or respirators for the general public.
Here is some expert advice on how to stop touching your face
Uber to compensate drivers diagnosed with illness or force to self-quarantine
Uber said in a memo Friday that it plans to compensate drivers and delivery workers who are required to self-quarantine, or if they are diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Employees “in these situations” will receive compensation for a period of up to 14 days, Senior Vice President Andrew Macdonald said in a statement, although he did not say how much they would receive.
“This has already begun in some markets and we are working to implement mechanisms to do this worldwide,” he added.
Cruise ship on river Nile placed under quarantine by Egyptian authorities
A cruise on the Nile river has been quarantined by Egyptian health authorities after 12 people tested positive for coronavirus.
A Taiwanese-American tourist likely caused the spread on board the ship, as she tested positive for the virus after returning to Taiwan late in February, officials said.
They added that American, French and Indian nationals were among the 150 passengers and crew on board.
Those confirmed to be infected with the respiratory had been isolated on board, officials said, adding that the remaining passengers and crew were awaiting their test results.
Philippines to declare health emergency, minister says
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte plans to declare a nationwide public health emergency following confirmation of the country’s first community transmission of the disease, the country’s health minister said Saturday.
Francisco Duque told a news conference that the decision was a preemptive measure to prepare for a possible increase of cases.
His comments came after health officials said the first case of the disease being transmitted locally had been recorded when a 62-year-old Filipino man who had not traveled abroad recently was diagnosed with the respiratory illness.
His 59-year-old wife has also been infected, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian nation to six.
Italy to hire 20 thousand healthcare workers: reports
The Italian government plan to hire 20 thousand new medical personnel in order to bolster the health service and tackle coronavirus, local media reported Saturday.
They intend to recruit 5,000 doctors, 5,000 social workers and 10,000 nurses.
As of Saturday, 148 people have died from the respiratory illness in Italy and the has highest death toll outside of China, where the disease originated.
Entire towns have been quarantined northern Italy, which is expected to weigh heavily on the country’s economy with tourism particularly affected.
Majority of South Korean cases linked to secretive church, health director says
More than 60 percent of the cases in South Korea can be linked to a secretive church at the center of South Korea’s outbreak, the deputy director of the Korea Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention said Saturday.
The Korea Center for Disease Control said that the number of confirmed cases had risen by 448 to 7,041. Two more people had died from the respiratory illness, bringing the total number of COVID-19 linked deaths to 46.
South Korea — which has one of the worst outbreaks outside of China — has seen a spike in cases since mid-February when a 61-year-old woman known as “Patient 31” tested positive after attending religious services at a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southeastern city of Daegu.
Lee Man-hee, the founder of the church, apologized earlier this week, calling the epidemic a “great calamity.”
Cruise ship passengers learned of coronavirus infections from TV, not the ship
Downtown Seattle Starbucks employee tests positive
A downtown Seattle Starbucks was closed and deep cleaned overnight after a worker was diagnosed with the coronavirus illness COVID-19, the company’s executive vice president said in a statement Friday.
“Late last night, we learned one of our store partners at our 1st & University store in downtown Seattle was diagnosed with COVID-19 and is self-isolating at home for a period of time,” Rossann Williams said in a message to partners.
City officials have encouraged the company to reopen the store after further preventative cleaning.
King County, where Seattle is located, has had 58 cases of COVID-19.
Florida announces two coronavirus deaths
Florida health officials said late Friday two people have died from coronavirus in the Sunshine State.
One of the deaths, in Lee County on the Gulf Coast, was one of three new “presumptive positive” cases, the Florida Department of Health said. The Centers for Disease Control has yet to confirm the virus testing done by state labs in these cases.
Another death was a “previously announced case” in Santa Rosa County, near Pensacola, that declined, officials said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday the Santa Rosa County man was believed to be older than 70 with underlying health conditions. He had traveled internationally, he said.
“He’s not in shape to fully answer all the questions,” the governor said, “so there’s an investigation ongoing.”
The deaths bring the nationwide number of fatalities blamed on coronavirus to 17.
