February 17 coronavirus news

By Joshua Berlinger, Jessie Yeung, Adam Renton, Amy Woodyatt, Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 9:08 p.m. ET, February 17, 2020
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4:04 a.m. ET, February 17, 2020

India is sending a flight to Wuhan that will bring medical supplies and leave with Indian nationals

From CNN's Vedika Sud in New Delhi

The Indian government is sending a planeload of medical supplies to Wuhan later this week to help China combat the coronavirus epidemic, the Indian Embassy in Beijing said on its official Twitter account.

The Embassy said the flight will take Indians in Wuhan and Hubei province back to their home country when it leaves China, but the plane has "limited capacity."

3:49 a.m. ET, February 17, 2020

If you're just tuning in, here's what you should know

STR/AFP/Getty Images
STR/AFP/Getty Images

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has topped 71,000, according to the latest numbers from China's National Health Commission.

Here's the latest:

More deaths in Hubei: A total of 105 people in mainland China were killed by the virus Sunday, China's National Health Commission said -- 100 of whom were in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak. The global death toll is 1,775, including five people outside mainland China.

New cases: Thailand, Japan and South Korea announced new cases on Monday.

Americans evacuated: More than 300 Americans previously onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which had been quarantined in Japanese waters, left the country on flights chartered by the United States government Monday Japan time. The first flight has landed back in the US. The US Departments of State, and Health and Human Services said in a joint statement that a total of 14 passengers were confirmed to have the novel coronavirus as they were evacuated.

Malaysia bars ship passengers: The Malaysian government announced it will not allow passengers who were on board the Westerdam to enter its borders. The move follows reports that an American woman who had traveled on the cruise ship tested positive for the virus after flying from Cambodia, where the ship had docked, to Kuala Lumpur.

China's top political event under threat: Beijing is considering delaying its annual meeting of the National People's Congress (NPC), a gathering of the the country's nearly 3,000 national legislators, as the government continues to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, state media reported.

3:40 a.m. ET, February 17, 2020

Beijing is considering postponing its most important political event of the year

From CNN's Steven Jiang in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping and the other attendees of the fourth and last Plenary Meeting of the National People's Congress stand and listen to the National Anthem at The Great Hall Of The People on March 15, 2019 in Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and the other attendees of the fourth and last Plenary Meeting of the National People's Congress stand and listen to the National Anthem at The Great Hall Of The People on March 15, 2019 in Beijing. Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images

The Chinese government is considering delaying its annual meeting of the National People's Congress (NPC), a gathering of the the country's nearly 3,000 national legislators, as the government continues to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, Chinese state media reported.

The annual meeting is a highly choreographed political and propaganda spectacle that ranks high on the ruling Communist Party’s agenda.

The annual plenary session has not been delayed or suspended since the end of the tumultuous Cultural Revolution in the late 1970s. It went as scheduled in 2003 amid the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, which originated in China and hit the country hard. SARS eventually spread across the world to infect more than 8,000 people, killing at least 774.

The full session of the NPC was due to open on March 5. Instead, the NPC Standing Committee, a smaller group of fewer than 200 people, will meet in the capital on February 24 to review a proposal to postpone the plenary session, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.

“As the country is currently at a critical stage of containing the spread of the virus and winning the battle on the outbreak, we must focus our energy on this effort,” Xinhua quoted Zang Tiewei, a senior NPC official, as saying. “Of the nearly 3,000 NPC delegates, many -- including major officials at the provincial and local levels as well as in other fields -- are fighting on the frontlines and playing important roles.”

The proposal to delay the NPC’s full gathering is aimed to “ensure concentrated energy on the containment effort, and to ensure the safety and health of the masses,” Zang added.

3:32 a.m. ET, February 17, 2020

Coronavirus crisis raises questions over China's relationship with the World Health Organization

Analysis by CNN's James Griffiths in Hong Kong

World Health Organization director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
World Health Organization director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Pool/Getty Images

Sitting alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, World Health Organization director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was effusive in his praise of the country's response to the coronavirus crisis.

"We appreciate the seriousness with which China is taking this outbreak, especially the commitment from top leadership, and the transparency they have demonstrated," Tedros said, in comments that would be repeatedly quoted in China's state media for weeks.

This was in late January, after Xi had taken control of the situation due to local officials' apparent failure to contain the outbreak to Hubei province.

As the two men met in the Chinese capital, the number of cases was rising, and revelations were emerging that officials in Hubei province and Wuhan -- the city where the virus was first detected -- had sought to downplay and control news about the virus, even threatening medical whistleblowers with arrest.

Days later, the WHO declared a global public health emergency, and once again Tedros praised Beijing's response.

While China did act quickly following Xi's intervention, placing several major cities on lockdown and pouring resources into the battle against the virus, it has maintained tight control over information about the virus and efforts to control its spread have veered on the side of draconian.

Taiwan sidelined: The WHO's praise of China's response have led critics to question the relationship between the two entities. The UN agency relies on funding and the cooperation of members to function, giving wealthy member states like China considerable influence. Perhaps one of the most overt examples of China's sway over the WHO is its success in blocking Taiwan's access to the body, a position that could have very real consequences for the Taiwanese people if the virus takes hold there.

Independence questioned: The WHO's position regarding China has also renewed a longstanding debate about whether the WHO, founded 72 years ago, is sufficiently independent to allow it to fulfill its purpose. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to questions regarding Beijing's relationship with the WHO. A spokesman for the WHO directed CNN to comments made by Tedros this week, when he again praised China for "making us safer."

Read more here

3:19 a.m. ET, February 17, 2020

Japan won't hold a public birthday celebration for the Emperor this year due to coronavirus fears

From CNN's Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo

In this file photo, Japan's Emperor Naruhito gives an address at the opening of the 201st ordinary session of the Diet at the upper house of the parliament on January 20 in Tokyo.
In this file photo, Japan's Emperor Naruhito gives an address at the opening of the 201st ordinary session of the Diet at the upper house of the parliament on January 20 in Tokyo. Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

The Japanese Imperial Household says that it is canceling next weekend’s public birthday celebration for Emperor Naruhito due to fears that large crowds could facilitate the spread of the novel coronavirus.

It would have been the first public birthday celebration as emperor for Naruhito, who turns 60 on February 23. He took the throne last year after his father's abdication.

Japan has confirmed a total of 414 coronavirus cases -- 357 related to the Diamond Princess and 57 with no connection to the ship.

3:07 a.m. ET, February 17, 2020

Basic questions about the coronavirus, answered

Chinese customers wear protective masks as they line up to buy dumplings at a shop on February 16, 2020 in Beijing, China.
Chinese customers wear protective masks as they line up to buy dumplings at a shop on February 16, 2020 in Beijing, China. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

There's still a lot we don't know about the novel coronavirus, officially called Covid-19, and scientists around the world are racing to gather data and develop a treatment.

Here's what we can tell you so far:

  • Is there a cure? There's no cure, but patients can be treated for symptoms and may recover. The US National Institutes of Health said it's also working on a vaccine -- but it would take months for clinical trials to begin and more than a year until a vaccine might be available.
  • What are the symptoms? Coronavirus symptoms can look like the flu -- a runny nose, cough, sore throat, possibly a headache and maybe a fever, which can last for a couple of days.
  • How does the virus spread? The virus is thought to spread from person to person through respiratory droplets emitted by coughing or sneezing. There's also a possibility the virus can exist in and spread through contaminated fecal matter. Hong Kong authorities are exploring the possibility of the virus spreading through plumbing and pipes. There's currently no evidence that the virus is airborne -- meaning, for instance, it doesn't travel across a large room.
  • Who is at risk of infection? People of all ages can be infected with the virus, but older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions are especially vulnerable to severe complications.
  • How can I protect myself? Take the same precautionary measures you would during flu season. Wash your hands often with soap and water, cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough, avoid close contact with people or large gatherings, and wear a face mask.
2:56 a.m. ET, February 17, 2020

A plane carrying Americans home from the Diamond Princess has landed

A US government-chartered plane takes off from Tokyo's Haneda airport on Monday carrying American citizens evacuated from the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship.
A US government-chartered plane takes off from Tokyo's Haneda airport on Monday carrying American citizens evacuated from the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship. Photo by Kyodo News via Getty Images

An airplane believed to be the first of two chartered by the US government to evacuate Americans from the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan has landed at Travis Air Force Base near Fairfield, California. 

According to flight tracking websites Flightradar24 and FlightAware, the Kalitta Air charter with tail number N710CK landed at approximately 2:28 a.m. Eastern Time.

The 9.5-hour flight, from Haneda Airport in Tokyo, began shortly after 7 a.m. Japan Standard Time.

2:46 a.m. ET, February 17, 2020

First group of Australians quarantined on Christmas Island heads home

A group of Australians who had been evacuated from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, are heading home after completing their quarantine period, Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted Monday.

Australia evacuated 241 of its nationals from the city earlier this month and transported them to Christmas Island, where most of them spent two weeks in quarantine.

The campsite on Christmas Island is known for its notorious offshore immigration detention center, and using it to house the evacuees was met with controversy due to its allegedly poor conditions.

None of those evacuated in the first group had developed the coronavirus, Morrison said.

2:35 a.m. ET, February 17, 2020

Did Xi Jinping know about the coronavirus outbreak earlier than first suggested?

Analysis by CNN's James Griffiths in Hong Kong

As the deadly novel coronavirus spread throughout China and the world last month, it was clear that something had gone wrong.

Officials in Hubei, the province at the center of the outbreak, were blamed for downplaying -- and potentially even deliberately covering up -- the severity of the virus, ignoring evidence that it spread from person-to-person until it was too late.

Against this tale of irresponsibility there was another story being told in China, one of a competent central government which had been denied the full picture by local officials, and once it understood the true ramifications stepped in to take drastic action to stop the virus' spread.

And indeed, there was a major shift on January 20, when Chinese President Xi Jinping commented publicly for the first time on the virus, and ordered "resolute efforts" to control the outbreak. Speaking alongside Xi in Beijing a week later, World Health Organization (WHO) director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the "seriousness with which China is taking this outbreak," and thanked Beijing for its "transparency."

New revelation: Over the weekend, however, a transcript of an internal Communist Party speech appeared to throw doubt on this narrative, revealing Xi knew about and was directing the response to the virus on January 7 -- almost two weeks before he commented on it publicly.

Why this matters: The revelation raises major questions about whether it was the central government, not authorities in Hubei, who dithered on their response, allowing the virus to spread through the country and eventually the world.

It also underlines the difficulty in maintaining Xi's image -- carefully cultivated by state media -- as an almost omniscient ruler who oversees, and is aware of everything that is happening in the country. With criticism growing of the failure to contain the coronavirus, both at home and abroad, Beijing was faced with either choosing to admit that Xi was ignorant of the true nature of the crisis until almost a month into it, or that he was aware of it and involved in the response.

By choosing the latter option, however, no matter how much blame can be placed onto provincial officials for failing to "implement" Xi's instructions, the government is admitting that ultimate responsibility for the outbreak lies with the man at the center.

Read more here: