The World Health Organization gathered drug experts for a meeting Geneva from February 11 and 12 to discuss possible coronavirus drugs and vaccines to stop the outbreak. After this meeting, the delegation will fly to China to present their findings, according to Director-general Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
WHO's announcement came as China officially tested Remdesivir from Gilead Sciences to patients who are infected with the virus. The human trials are taking place in Wuhan's Jinyintan hospital. The drug, which was also used in Ebola patients, will be tested on 453 critically ill patients and 308 more with less severe symptoms.
Ahead of these developments, WHO has already called for donations of about $675 million from the international community. The money will be spent on measures intended to fight the coronavirus.
One organization who promptly heed the calls is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which announced a $100 million donation. Funding will be allocated to tools used in prompt detection of symptoms, as well as isolation and treatment of patients.
China announced 563 deaths and raised the number of confirmed cases at 28,018.
Global infections as of Thursday:
Macau - 10
Taiwan - 11
Hong Kong - 21
Japan - 45
Singapore - 28
Thailand - 25
South Korea - 23
Australia - 14
Germany - 12
United States - 12
Malaysia - 10
Vietnam - 10
France - 6
United Arab Emirates - 5
Canada - 4
India - 3
Philippines - 3, including 1 death
Russia - 2
Italy - 2
Britain - 2
Belgium - 1
Nepal - 1
Sri Lanka - 1
Sweden - 1
Spain 1 -
Cambodia - 1
Finland - 1
Meanwhile, about 350 US evacuees from Wuhan landed in California. They will undergo 14-day quarantine and will be accommodated at Travis Air Force Base in fairfield California and at Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego.
Canada called for its citizens in China to take the latest available commercial flight out as evacuations are still being planned. The North American country is planning to get 200 citizens but would have to wait 24 hours due to bad weather conditions.
New Zealand is the latest to welcome evacuees as of Thursday. A plane from Wuhan carried New Zealanders, Australians, and Pacific Islanders.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said pharmacies that will take advantage of the outbreak by hiking mask prices should be stripped off licenses. Russia was among the very first countries to close its borders with China.
In Italy, all foriegn tourists coming in are subjected to thermal scanning. In Barcelona, more companies are canceling their attendance for the annual MWC Barcelona event. LG Electronics, among those who recently canceled, said its decision is to protect their employees from exposure to viruses at the airports.
Meanwhile European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde said coronavirus poses a new layer of uncertainty for the global economy just as impact of the China-US trade war recedes.
On the other hand, IAG CEO Willie Walsh said the global tourism industry is healthy enough to take beatings from the coronavirus. The outbreak may have marginal impact but will be soft enough for the travel sector to absorb.
Meanwhile, trade continues for Ukraine and China. While there are delays in transportation and logistics, Ukraine will continue its exports of grains to China.
