February 10 coronavirus news

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has listed 398 people under investigation for the novel coronavirus in 37 states, according to an update posted to the agency's website on Monday.

Of them, 12 have tested positive, 318 negative and 68 are still pending. 

These numbers are cumulative since Jan. 21 and include people with a travel history to China, as well as those who have been in close contact with confirmed cases or other people under investigation.

Pending cases include specimens that have been received and not yet undergone testing, as well as those in transit to CDC from health authorities in various states.

There are 12 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States. Six cases have been confirmed in California, one in Massachusetts, one in Washington state, one in Arizona, one in Wisconsin and two in Illinois. This includes two instances of known person-to-person transmission, one in Illinois and one in California.

Previously, there were 337 people under investigation in 36 states as of Feb. 6, including 12 positive, 225 negative and 100 pending cases.

The United States’ top infectious disease doctor said that the novel coronavirus is currently under control — "but that could change very quickly," rendering travel restrictions ineffective against the spread of the virus.

"You're going to have to do what we call mitigation, or dampen the effect within a country," Fauci added. "Clearly we're not there yet. We still have very few cases. But we need to be alert to the possibility that this will get worse."

Fauci said the coronavirus spreads more easily than SARS but appears to be less severe. The novel coronavirus has killed more people than SARS did in 2002 and 2003 — however, it has infected many more people than SARS did. 

"This particular virus has a much, much greater capability of spreading widely," Fauci said.

About the virus in the US: There are 12 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States. Six cases have been confirmed in California, one in Massachusetts, one in Washington state, one in Arizona, one in Wisconsin and two in Illinois. This includes two instances of known person-to-person transmission, one in Illinois and one in California. 

The Anthem of the Seas — the Royal Caribbean cruise ship that was delayed last week after passengers aboard the ship became ill — will take off today at 3 p.m. ET, according to Royal Caribbean. 

The ship will finally set sail after a coronavirus scare kept the ship docked this weekend. 

Royal Caribbean updated their itinerary on Monday to include Bermuda as the only port of call on the trip. 

The Government of Bermuda says arriving passengers will "apply our own protocols currently in place at all of Bermuda’s points of entry."  

"Arriving travelers will undergo a travel risk assessment by a Health Officer and could have their health monitored and movement on island restricted for up to 14 days," the Government of Bermuda says. 

The coronavirus outbreak is driving up the cost of food — and almost everything else in China — adding to the pressure on household budgets. 

China's consumer price inflation hit 5.4% in January, according to the country's National Bureau of Statistics today. Prices rose last month at their fastest rate since October 2011, when China was battling to control months of soaring inflation. 

Food, which makes up nearly a third of spending by Chinese consumers, is spiking the most:

Other items saw modest price rises by comparison: Health care was 2.3% more expensive, for example, while clothing prices rose 0.6%.

The statistics bureau acknowledged the role coronavirus played in causing prices to surge. In a statement, it attributed the increase to the outbreak and to the Lunar New Year holiday, which was observed in January this year rather than February, as it was in 2019.

Tech giants Amazon and Sony are the latest firms to pull out of Mobile World Congress, one of the world’s biggest annual business conferences amid the coronavirus spread.

“Due to the outbreak and continued concerns about novel coronavirus, Amazon will withdraw from exhibiting and participating in Mobile World Congress 2020, scheduled for Feb. 24-27 in Barcelona, Spain” Amazon said in a statement to CNN.

Sony also issued a similar statement following the outbreak.

The latest withdrawals follow Ericsson and LG electronics, who announced last week they also wouldn’t attend the event.

The event organizers said Monday that Mobile World Congress will go ahead as planned and that they would ban access to all travelers from the Hubei province.

Organizers outlined additional safety measures including temperature screening. All travelers who have been to China will also need to demonstrate proof they have been outside of China at least 14 days before the event.

Officials in China and around the world are working to contain the coronavirus outbreak, which began in December.

Here's where things stand now:

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China needs to stabilize the economy and prevent large-scale layoffs amid the coronavirus outbreak. 

During a meeting at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday, Xi said it would be important to reduce the impact caused by the coronavirus and fulfill the economic targets this year as much as possible. 

He said officials should take note that the economy has been doing well and the impact caused by the coronavirus would only be short-lived. He added the country is ready to help companies resume production and would assist those that have been heavily affected. 

He also noted that China should work on expanding online consumption. 

Kazakhstan is preparing to send two planes to repatriate Kazakh citizens in China, the press attaché for the Embassy of Kazakhstan in London Aigerim Seisembayeva confirmed to CNN.

The planes, operated by Air Astana, will depart from Kazakhstan to Beijing today and Wednesday. This is the second repatriation effort carried out by Kazakhstan, with the first taking place last Monday.

Japan’s health authorities will not test all of the passengers and crew of the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Yokohama, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said today. 

Here's why: Suga said it would be too difficult to test everyone for the virus but that “the government provides necessary information to ensure the good health and safety of the passengers and crew members on the ship as a top priority.”

Suga says authorities are testing samples of people who have fever, those over 80 and feel ill, as well as those who had close contact with infected passengers. 

There are more than 3,700 people on board the cruise ship, including 2,600 passengers.

About the ship: There are 65 newly confirmed coronavirus cases on the Diamond Princess ship docked in Yokohama, bringing the total number on board to 135. The new cases nearly doubled the total, from 70 confirmed cases on Sunday.

At least 24 Americans are infected on board the ship.

The vessel has been quarantined since Tuesday, and passengers are expected to remain under quarantine for at least 14 days.