February 5 coronavirus news

A total of 428 American passengers are on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off Yokohama port in Japan, the US Embassy told CNN.

Coronavirus cruise: Earlier today, 10 people on the cruise ship were confirmed to have the Wuhan coronavirus, according to the Japanese health ministry. They were being taken to the hospital

The ship docked and was placed under quarantine after a former passenger, who disembarked 12 days ago, was confirmed to have the coronavirus. He is now in stable condition in Hong Kong.

There are 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew members on board the ship, owner Princess Cruises said in a statement yesterday.

It has been two weeks since the first US case of Wuhan coronavirus was announced, and the US strategy has become clear: It's impossible to stop this virus, it can only be slowed down. Here's why:

International travel: While there are health screenings at US airports, quarantines for some passengers and even limits on who is allowed into the United States, a government official says there's no way to catch every infected person.

The volume of international travelers is now much higher than during the 2003 SARS epidemic -- meaning it's much more difficult to screen travelers.

Contact tracing: As the number of cases grows, it becomes more difficult to conduct "contact tracing" -- tracking down everyone these infected people have had contact with and then, if necessary, testing those people for the virus.

Testing: Further complicating matters is that testing isn't always accurate -- while negative results on the test most likely mean the person doesn't have coronavirus, it could also be that the disease simply hasn't developed enough to be detected yet.

Read more here.

The Australian state of Queensland confirmed its third case of Wuhan coronavirus on Tuesday, pushing the national total to 13 confirmed cases, according to a statement from the Queensland government.

The patient is an 8-year-old boy, a Chinese national from Wuhan. He traveled in a tour group with a 44-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman, who were confirmed to be infected on January 29 and January 30, respectively

The child remains in isolation at the Gold Coast University Hospital and is currently stable.

As medical workers in Hong Kong continue their strike, the Hong Kong Hospital Authority said today that the limited number of staff meant public hospitals could only offer emergency services.

With such limited services, the Hospital Authority asked patients with mild conditions to see private hospitals or doctors, or specialist outpatient clinics, according to a statement from the government Wednesday.

Why they're striking: The Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, a union representing medical workers in the city, is on its third day of a strike.

Strikers and union members are demanding closed borders with mainland China, and have accused the city government of inadequate action during the coronavirus outbreak.

Government response: Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam criticized the strikers for weakening the city's medical capacity at a crucial time. Remaining employees still working in the hospital now have a heavier workload to make up for their absent colleagues, she said yesterday.

The government has already implemented travel restrictions and shut down most of its borders with neighboring mainland China -- only three crossing points remain open, including the international airport.

The coronavirus outbreak began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, capital of Hubei province in December. Now, it has spread across the province, with two other cities in Hubei reporting over 1,000 cases and scores of deaths.

The three cities:

There are fears in the region that Huanggang and Xiaogan could become "the next Wuhan" -- exacerbated by the fact that they have less public health infrastructure than Wuhan, which is a major urban hub.

Drastic measures: Authorities in these areas have implemented drastic measures to try and limit the spread of the virus. In Huanggang, officials are only allowing one representative from each household to leave their home every other day to go outside and buy groceries.

Apart from the designated representative, the only other people allowed out of their homes are people seeking medical attention, or working in virus control, pharmacies and supermarkets.

The city government said the measure was to minimize the flow of people in the city.

The British government has urged all of its citizens in China to leave the country, but offered little more in detailed information or practical advice.

What they said: In a statement yesterday, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said it “now recommends that British Nationals who are able to leave China do so," citing the coronavirus outbreak as the reason for the advisory.

UK citizens in China should leave "to minimise their risk of exposure to the virus," said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in the statement.

What they didn't say: The statement gave little more detail on what prompted the additional urgency, whether there was new medical information about the virus spread, or even how tens of thousands of Britons in China might go about leaving.

Other countries have suspended travel to mainland China and barred entry to travelers coming from China, but the UK is the first to ask its citizens to leave the country entirely.

Chinese response: China has not responded specifically to the updated UK advisory, but it has lashed out at other countries for taking stringent measures against the coronavirus. It accused the US of overreacting and feeding mass hysteria by banning Chinese travelers and evacuating its consulate staff from China.

“We hope countries will make reasonable, calm and science-based judgments and responses," said a Chinese official on Monday.

There are one or two more US planes scheduled to evacuate citizens from Wuhan this week, but no more beyond that, a State Department official said today.

Two evacuation planes departed Wuhan earlier today, and are currently en route to the United States. On Thursday, there will be "one or more additional flights" to retrieve US citizens in Wuhan, said a statement from the State Department.

"As space is available, seating will be offered to US citizens on a reimbursable basis, to leave from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport to the United States," said the statement.

Health screenings: The statement added that travelers on board the evacuation flights had been screened for symptoms before departure, and that once they land they will be subject to further screening and health observation.

A cruise ship in Japan is currently under quarantine with 3,700 people on board, after a former passenger was found infected with coronavirus. Ten more people on board have since tested positive for the illness.

How to stay safe: Cruise ships have sometimes been called "floating Petri dishes" because guests stay close together in a contained area for extended periods of time.

If you're worried about your health on board, here are some tips:

Hygiene on board: Cruise ship companies try to prevent diseases by emphasizing hygiene -- for example, having hand sanitizer stations easily accessible in common areas and requiring staff members who handle food to wear gloves.

Read more here.

Taiwan confirmed its 11th coronavirus case on Tuesday, according to a statement from the self-governing island's Ministry of Health and Welfare.

The patient is a man in his 50s, said to be a Taiwanese businessman who returned from Wuhan on Tuesday. He showed no symptoms of fever nor pneumonia, and is now in stable condition in an isolated hospital room.

Passengers who were on the same flight as the patient are all being tested and will be quarantined for 14 days.

Travel ban: Yesterday, Taiwan announced it would deny entry to all foreign nationals who had been to China in the past 14 days. Those with a Taiwan resident certificate will be allowed in, but are required to self-isolate in their homes and monitor their health. 

The restrictions go into effect this Friday.