Updated February 12, 2020, 8:53 p.m.
A Formula 1 race postponed, an important trade fair canceled: The coronavirus, which is rampant in China, unsettles people worldwide. A federal institute finds clear words.
The new corona virus with more than 1100 deaths in China slows down major events of international interest. In Formula 1, the world association FIA postponed the Grand Prix of China scheduled for April 19 on Wednesday. The world’s most important mobile communications fair MWC in Barcelona was also canceled.
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the pathogen, which is also called Sars-CoV-2, could spread internationally to a greater extent. “Global development suggests that the virus could spread worldwide in the sense of a pandemic,” says an RKI report. Countries with limited resources in the health system are particularly affected. “But even in countries like Germany, this could lead to a high burden on medical care,” it said.
Low danger in Germany
The experts also write that a meeting with an infected person is currently very unlikely for people in Germany. However, the assessment can change at any time.
The World Health Organization (WHO) wants to speed up the search for a vaccine and effective medication. The 400 experts who have been meeting in Geneva since Tuesday have agreed on this, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday evening in Geneva. There are four possible vaccine candidates, hopefully two of which will prove promising, said WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan. The first vaccine tests on humans could begin in three to four months. A certified vaccine for widespread use will probably only be available in 18 months.
1113 dead in China
97 people died in China within one day of the lung disease with the new name Covid-19, according to the National Health Commission on Wednesday. The number of infections rose by 2015 cases. A total of 1113 deaths have now been reported in mainland China. Infection has been detected in more than 44,000 people.
However, the figures from China are not very meaningful. In general, experts suspect a very high number of unreported cases. So the possibilities are limited to test for the new virus. Furthermore, China’s changing reporting system with different definitions of the individual cases appears particularly complicated for local authorities. According to experts, the numbers reported daily therefore represent the ability to identify and report cases rather than the true extent of the epidemic.
Xi Jinping sees progress
China’s head of state and party Xi Jinping sees “positive changes”. “The results are progress that has been hard-won from all sides,” said the president on Wednesday, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Worldwide, more than 500 infections have now been confirmed outside the Chinese mainland, 16 of them in Germany. Fourteen cases are related to the Bavarian automotive supplier Webasto. A Chinese employee had introduced the pathogen during a business trip. The two most recent cases in Bavaria were announced on Tuesday evening. It is a 49-year-old Webasto employee and a family member of another employee. After two weeks of closure, Webasto reopened its company headquarters on Wednesday. In addition, the virus was found in two passengers on a return flight of the Bundeswehr from Wuhan to Frankfurt / Main.
More EU aid required
Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) called for greater financial participation by the European Union. He would like an agreement on funds from the EU budget for research in the fight against the virus.
People of Asian origin are reporting to the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency reporting exclusion due to the new corona virus. “We are currently experiencing that people are marginalized and disadvantaged because of their appearance or their origin,” it said. A total of 19 people affected had contacted the authority in the past few days.
Formula 1 race canceled
The Formula 1 Grand Prix in Shanghai will now be rescheduled later this year, “if the situation improves,” it said in a FIA announcement. The chances of a catch-up appointment appear slim, however, since the calendar is already very lavishly filled with 21 other races by the end of November and offers hardly any further space. The last time the race was canceled was in 2011.
On April 5, Vietnam is to drive on a street circuit in Hanoi for the first time. But there are now doubts about the corona virus at the premiere of this race. Hanoi is only around 150 kilometers from the border with China.
Companies are concerned
More and more large companies canceled their participation in the MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona due to the risk of coronavirus. On Wednesday alone, Deutsche Telekom, network supplier Nokia and smartphone manufacturer HMD Global announced that they would be away from the event. The organizers finally canceled the fair, which should have taken place at the end of February, on Wednesday evening.
On board the quarantined cruise ship “Diamond Princess” in Yokohama, Japan, 39 people have been infected, the Japanese Ministry of Health announced. Four people showed serious symptoms. This increases the number of infected people to 174. The remaining of the approximately 3,600 passengers and crew members should remain on the ship until at least February 19. According to the German embassy, none of the ten German nationals on board have been infected so far. (Mss / dpa)
In the meantime, there are two new cases in Germany that are related to the twelve known cases in Bavaria so far. There are a total of 16 cases in this country.
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