February 4 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, Steve George and Amy Woodyatt, CNN

Updated 9:21 p.m. ET, February 4, 2020
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10:08 a.m. ET, February 4, 2020

Britain sequences coronavirus genome in the race to stop its spread

From Lindsay Isaac, London

Scientists at a UK public health authority investigating the coronavirus have discovered that the virus has not evolved “to better infect humans” since its genome was first sequenced in China.

By sequencing the virus’s genome, Public Health England says it has provided “valuable information on any mutations in the virus over time and allows an improved understanding of how the virus spreads.”

“By sequencing this virus’s genome we can better understand the roots of this disease, predict its behaviour, and learn how tackle it," Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in a statement.

There's still a lot we don't know about the Wuhan coronavirus, and scientists around the world are racing to gather data and develop a treatment.

Health officials in Thailand have said they are treating a patient with a combination of HIV and flu drugs, while a biopharmaceutical firm is working to see if antiviral drugs used to treat Ebola could also combat the symptoms of coronavirus.

A purpose-built hospital dedicated to treating the virus also opened in Wuhan Monday

9:49 a.m. ET, February 4, 2020

At least one person turned away at US border as coronavirus travel restrictions implemented

From CNN's Geneva Sands

A Canadian citizen was turned away at the US' northern border as a part of President Donald Trump's temporary ban on people who have visited China before their arrival in the United States, acting Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said Monday.

In the wake of Trump's proclamation, the US has started denying entry to foreign nationals who visited China in the 14 days prior to their arrival to the US.

Read the full story here.

10:38 a.m. ET, February 4, 2020

What you need to know about the coronavirus

A medical worker collects biomaterial for testing from a suspected coronavirus patient in Wuhan on Tuesday.
A medical worker collects biomaterial for testing from a suspected coronavirus patient in Wuhan on Tuesday. Credit: Feature China/Barcroft Media/Getty Images

The Wuhan coronavirus continues its spread across Asia and the rest of the globe. Countries have implemented various emergency measures and travel restrictions, as researchers continue working toward a treatment.

If you're just joining us now, here's what you need to know:

  • The numbers: The Wuhan novel coronavirus has killed at least 427 people and infected 20,645 cases globally. The vast majority of those are within China and concentrated in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak. Only two deaths have been outside of mainland China: one in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong.
  • Rising death toll: The number of reported deaths in China has been jumping rapidly. It topped 100 on January 28, passed 200 by January 31, overtook 300 on February 1, and exceeded 400 today.
  • Recoveries: There have also been reports of recovering patients. Most of Singapore's confirmed cases are stabilized and improving, said the government. And in the US, the first confirmed case has been discharged from hospital in Washington state.
  • Global response: Countries are continuing to evacuate their citizens out of Wuhan, and place travel restrictions on travelers from China. Some of these measures -- specifically from the US -- have sparked anger from Beijing.
  • Quarantines: Nearly 60 million people remain under lockdown in China. And in Japan, an entire cruise ship with more than 3,000 people on board is quarantined in the port after a former passenger was found infected a few days earlier.
  • Travel advisories: Some countries, including the UK, are advising their citizens to leave China altogether.

9:10 a.m. ET, February 4, 2020

Two more evacuation flights carrying 550 American citizens to head to California military bases

From Steven Jiang in Beijing and Barbara Starr at the Pentagon

Two additional evacuation flights for American citizens are scheduled to depart Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, on Tuesday for military bases in California with a combined 550 passengers on board, a US official with knowledge of the matter told CNN’s Steven Jiang in Beijing.  

One flight will head to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego and the other is going to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, said the US official. The plane heading to Travis AFB is expected to land at 1:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, another official told CNN’s Barbara Starr.

These two flights mark the second time the US government evacuates its citizens from Wuhan. The first evacuation flight was a chartered plane that transported some 201 US passengers – mostly diplomats and their families – to March Air Reserve Base in southern California, where they arrived on January 29.

10:30 a.m. ET, February 4, 2020

Thailand confirms six new cases of coronavirus

From Kocha Olarn in Bangkok and Isaac Yee in Hong Kong

Thai officials conduct temperature screenings at a mall in Bangkok, Thailand on Tuesday.
Thai officials conduct temperature screenings at a mall in Bangkok, Thailand on Tuesday. Credit: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images

Thai health officials have confirmed six additional cases of the Wuhan coronavirus -- bringing the countrywide total to 25.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, the Director General for the Disease Control Department Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoen said that four of the new cases are Thai nationals, and two are Chinese nationals.

Two of the Thai nationals are a married couple who recently traveled to Japan and the other two Thais are “hired car drivers” who have transported Chinese passengers.

Five out of the six cases are in stable condition, with the sixth case -- a 70-year-old Thai taxi driver who transported Chinese tourists -- in critical condition, according to Dr. Wattanayingcharoen.

8:37 a.m. ET, February 4, 2020

Pictured: the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

Illustration: Alissa Eckert, MS/Dan Higgins, MAM/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Illustration: Alissa Eckert, MS/Dan Higgins, MAM/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

An illustration from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) depicts the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The virus has spread globally, sickened more than 20,000 people and caused at least 427 deaths since the first cases were detected in central China in December.

The illustration shows the "ultrastructural morphology" exhibited by coronaviruses, CDC said.

8:18 a.m. ET, February 4, 2020

UK advises British citizens in China to leave over coronavirus fears

From CNN's Lindsay Isaac in London

The British Foreign Office (FCO) is advising UK nationals in China to leave the country over the coronavirus outbreak. 

In a statement, the FCO said it “now recommends that British Nationals who are able to leave China do so.” 

The safety and security of British people will always be our top priority. As such, we now advise British Nationals in China to leave the country if they can, to minimise their risk of exposure to the virus. Where there are still British Nationals in Hubei Province who wish to be evacuated, we will continue to work around the clock to facilitate this,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.

The FCO maintains its current advisory against "all but essential" travel to mainland China. 

8:15 a.m. ET, February 4, 2020

Cruise ship passengers must stay on board in port near Tokyo during virus checks

From CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo

The Diamond Princess cruise ship sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama, Japan, on Tuesday.
The Diamond Princess cruise ship sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama, Japan, on Tuesday. Credit: Stringer/JIJI Press/AFP/Getty Images

The “Diamond Princess” cruise ship will remain in the Japanese port of Yokohama overnight, city officials announced Tuesday, after it was revealed that a former passenger has contracted the Wuhan coronavirus.

Its operator, Princess Cruises, halted plans for passengers to leave the vessel at the end of a 16-day Asia cruise after it was informed that a man who disembarked in Hong Kong tested positive with the virus several days later. 

“While on the ship he did not visit the ship’s medical centre to report any symptoms or illness. The hospital reports that he is in stable condition and the family members traveling with him remain symptom-free,” the cruise company said in a statement.

Japanese authorities are racing to contain a possible outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus, locking down the vessel and the roughly 2,500 passengers and 1,000 crew on board.

Health ministry officials said more passengers than expected need to be temporarily quarantined while being tested, and it could take another day to finish the screenings.  

No one is allowed to leave the ship while officials test the group. Officials would not confirm how many people are being tested. So far there are no confirmed cases of the virus on the ship.

7:49 a.m. ET, February 4, 2020

China could spend billions buying stocks if the coronavirus panic continues. It's done it before

From CNN Business' Laura He

Medical workers spray antiseptic outside of the Shanghai Stock Exchange Building on Monday.
Medical workers spray antiseptic outside of the Shanghai Stock Exchange Building on Monday. Credit: Yifan Ding/Getty Images

Monday's market sell-off in China was the worst in many years and wiped nearly half a trillion dollars off the value of the country's biggest companies. Now the Chinese government has to find ways to stem the panic before the coronavirus epidemic makes things even worse.

Beijing already has a blueprint to work with. When the Chinese stock market bubble popped in 2015, sending shares into an even deeper tailspin, the government stepped in with a rescue plan. Using a state-owned financing company and its sovereign wealth fund, China spent more than 1.2 trillion yuan ($170 billion) buying shares to shore up prices.

This time, the country may have to do the same.

Read the full story here.