WESTERN PACIFIC REGION & COVID-19: 2/27/20
February 27th, 2020“…..The Republic of Korea tested 8,662 samples during the day on Thursday, of which 171 were positive. The cumulative case count there is now 1,766. The country also reported one new death, bringing the total there to 13. The ROK Ministry of Health also reported that genetic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 from six patients found no evidence of mutations relevant to cell-binding.
In Japan, 23 new cases were reported on Feb 27, bringing the total there to 210. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked that all schools will be closed beginning on Monday, and that the closures are expected to continue through spring break in late March.
Elsewhere in the Western Pacific region, Singapore and Australia each reported one new case to the WHO yesterday, bringing the totals there to 91 and 23, respectively.
In other news, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the release of the Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). ….”
Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security