The number of infected people in South Korea continues to increase with new cases as of March 5 reaching 438. This brings the total number of infections in the country to 5,766. The Korea Centers for Disease and Control Prevention said three people died of the infection, bringing the total fatalities in the Republic to 35.
South Korea remained to have the largest number of infections outside China. As the country fears a lack of medical supplies in the coming days, most especially ethanol-based sanitizers soap - Soju makers do the good thing of donating alcohol to the government.
Soju is South Korea's national drink made from rice or wheat and potatoes. It is distilled with 17 to 20 percent alcohol by volume.
Daesun Distilling donated 32 tons of ethanol to disinfect hospitals, buildings, and other public places in Daegu where the outbreak is persistent.
Attention is also now in Indonesia as the country reported its first case on Tuesday and another one on Wednesday. There were suspicions before that the country has an unreliable testing method because, with the large number of Chinese tourists who visited the country, Indonesia should have been the first to report an outbreak as 2020 opens.
However, it is only this week that the country confirmed its cases. The latest is an Indonesian woman who said she went dancing with a Japanese friend. The friend was one of those who tested positive in Malaysia in February.
In Singapore, the country grounded a Turkish Airlines flight when one passenger tested positive for the virus. Onboard the plane were 220 people. It's not immediately clear whether the other passengers were now being asked to report to health authorities for quarantine.
Meanwhile, China reported 139 new confirmed cases, bringing the total number to 80,409. While this has reversed the slowdown in the reported cases in the country, Wuhan has accounted mainly for the increase. The city has 131 new cases on Thursday from 114 on Wednesday. Hubei, the province at the epicenter of the outbreak, accounted for all new deaths (37). Elsewhere in China, the new cases remained in single digits (5 new patients).
Japan, meanwhile, said the Olympics will go ahead in July. Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto said the decision prioritized the feelings and preparations of the athletes who remained passionate about competing. Japan, therefore, will ensure that the quarters for athletes and the venue for the sporting event will be safe for everyone.
