89 Dead Overnight as Coronavirus Outbreak Climbs to 37,558 Confirmed Cases Worldwide

Note: There is now a newer Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation Report 21.

WHO Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation Report 20

• No new countries reported cases of 2019-nCoV in the past 24 hours.
• Update on Cruise Ship Diamond Princess:

On February 9, Japanese National Health Authorities provided WHO with a detailed update on the situation of the Cruise Ship Diamond Princess, currently harbored in Yokohama, Japan. Following confirmation of a case of 2019-nCoV, all crew and passengers are being quarantined for a 14-day period on board the vessel, asked to stay in their cabins and to wear a mask when leaving their cabin. All crew and passengers are closely followed-up and are medically examined and tested for 2019-nCoV when displaying any signs or symptoms suggestive of 2019-nCoV disease. The quarantine period will come to an end on 19 February. Epidemiological and environmental investigations are ongoing.

As of February 8, 64 individuals were found to have been infected with 2019-nCoV among passengers and crew members. All individuals testing positive were disembarked and admitted for medical care in infectious disease hospitals in the Yokohama area. Close contacts of the infected passengers are asked to remain in quarantine for 14 days from last contact with a confirmed case. Thus, the quarantine period will be extended beyond the 19 February as appropriate only for close contacts of newly confirmed cases.

Risk Assessment

China: Very High

Regional Level: High

Global Level: High

Coronavirus Situation in Numbers

Globally

• • 37558 confirmed (2676 new)

China

• • 37251 confirmed (2657 new)
  • 6188 severe (87 new)
  • 812 deaths (89 new)

Outside of China

• • 307 confirmed (19 new)
  • 24 countries (0 new)
  • 1 death (0 new)

Technical Focus: 2019-nCoVTraining resources online on OpenWHO.org

Through the lessons of past emergencies, WHO has learned the value of offering learning materials quickly in an outbreak that will provide critical information to fight disease and protect lives. These materials must be easily accessible in the languages of frontline responders. The WHO has rapidly developed and delivered two online training courses to support the response to the 2019-nCoV outbreak that are available on the open learning platform, OpenWHO.org. The platform was established three years ago with emergencies such as 2019-nCoV in mind, in which WHO would need to reach millions of people across the globe with real-time, accessible learning materials.

The courses currently available are:

1. Emerging respiratory viruses, including 2019-nCoV: methods for detection, prevention, response and control: https://openwho.org/courses/introduction-to-ncovThis course provides a general introduction to 2019-nCoV and emerging respiratory viruses and is intended for public health professionals, incident managers and personnel working for the United Nations, international organizations and NGOs.Approximately 26 000 people registered within the first 10 days of its launch on 26 January. WHO teams are working to translate the resources into all WHO official languages and Portuguese. Many countries have also initiated translation into their own local languages.
2. WHO Critical Care Severe Acute Respiratory Infection course: https://openwho.org/courses/severe-acute-respiratory-infectionThis course includes content on clinical management of patients with a severe acute respiratory infection. Launched on February 6, it enrolled 3500 users in its first 24 hours. The course is intended for clinicians who are working in intensive care units in low-and middle-income countries and managing adult and pediatric patients with severe forms of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection, including severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, and septic shock. The following online learning courses are also in production in February: an occupational health and safety briefing for respiratory diseases (ePROTECT); an introductory course on Go.Data(an outbreak investigation tool for field data collection); an introduction to laboratory diagnostics and kits; and additional language versions of the published courses.

Countries, territories or areas with reported confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV, February 9, 2020

Recommendations and Advice for the Public

During previous outbreaks due to other coronaviruses (Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), human-to-human transmission occurred through droplets, contact, and fomites, suggesting that the transmission mode of the 2019-nCoV can be similar. The basic principles to reduce the general risk of transmission of acute respiratory infections include the following:

• Avoiding close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections.
• Frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment.
• Avoiding unprotected contact with farm or wild animals.
• People with symptoms of acute respiratory infection should practice cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands).
• Within healthcare facilities, enhance standard infection prevention and control practices in hospitals, especially in emergency departments.

WHO does not recommend any specific health measures for travelers. In case of symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness either during or after travel, travelers are encouraged to seek medical attention and share their travel history with their healthcare provider.

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