January 25 coronavirus news

By Tara John, Joshua Berlinger and Adam Renton, CNN

Updated 9:00 p.m. ET, January 25, 2020
36 Posts
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8:27 a.m. ET, January 25, 2020

Hong Kong Marathon and other major events are cancelled

From CNN's Jennifer Hauser and Sharif Paget in Atlanta

Participants take part in the 2017 iteration of the Hong Kong Marathon.
Participants take part in the 2017 iteration of the Hong Kong Marathon. Anthony Kwan/Getty Images

A marathon that was due to take place in Hong Kong in a couple of weeks has been canceled by its organizers amid fears of the coronavirus outbreak, organizers' said.

The event's 70,000 participants will get refunds.

This comes as Hong Kong raised its response level to the virus to "emergency," and the city's Chief Executive Carrie Lam said all large-scale events, including the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, will be canceled.

"Public health is our top priority. To support the government’s epidemic prevention efforts, the organiser has decided to cancel the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon originally scheduled for 8 and 9 February," read a statement from the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on its website and Facebook page Saturday.

Many Facebook users agreed with the decision to cancel the race.

Vivo Wong wrote: "wise decision -- I can't imagine it being an easy decision for the organisers. Health & safety is of utmost importance. There will always be next year."

Several runners posted on social media that they had been looking forward to receiving the race's finisher medal, which commemorates the Year of the Rat.

One user, ImEe LoVe, responded to the organization's Facebook page saying: "please send us the Year of the Rat medal and runners pack. We don't need the refund."

Another user, Matthew Lee, wrote: "Yeah, can we have the medals back. We have prepared for months and at least deserve that part."

7:59 a.m. ET, January 25, 2020

Indian students trapped in Wuhan fear running out of food

From CNN’s Vedika Sud in New Delhi

Indian students stand outside the foreign dormitory entrance at Wuhan Medical University.
Indian students stand outside the foreign dormitory entrance at Wuhan Medical University.

Fifty-six Indian students have been trapped in Wuhan for three days, with some afraid to leave their dorm room and fearful of running out of food.

Ganesan Deepshikha, a student at the Wuhan University School Of Medicine, told CNN that the students have been told by the Indian Embassy that they are safe in Wuhan but have not received any assistance.

Normally a transport hub for central China, Wuhan has been closed off from the rest of the country since Thursday -- when the city was placed on lockdown.

Public transport has been shut down and car travel restricted. 

Deepshikha told CNN that 25 to 30 among the group of Indian students at the Wuhan University are refusing to leave their dorm room, despite having only enough food for one more day.

Two campus hospitals at the Wuhan University have been treating patients suffering from Wuhan coronavirus -- with one such hospital just 300 meters from the dorm where the Indian students have sequestered themselves.

9:39 a.m. ET, January 25, 2020

Confirmed cases jump to 1,397 worldwide

China has announced more confirmed cases of the virus, pushing the global total to 1,397.

In mainland China, there are 1,359 confirmed cases, including 41 deaths.

The majority of deaths (39) occurred in Hubei province, one person died in China's northern province of Heilongjiang and one other death was reported in Hebei province, near Beijing.

6:26 a.m. ET, January 25, 2020

15 Chinese cities now in lockdown, affecting more than 57 million people

From CNN’s Yong Xiong in Beijing.

A man uses a thermometer gun to take a driver's temperature at a checkpoint at a highway toll gate in Wuhan on January 23, 2020.
A man uses a thermometer gun to take a driver's temperature at a checkpoint at a highway toll gate in Wuhan on January 23, 2020.

Fifteen Chinese cities are now in lockdown as Wuhan coronavirus continues to spread through the country.

The combined populations of the 15 cities total 57.2 million people.

All 15 of the cities are in Hubei Province, of which Wuhan is the capital.

The strictness of each lockdown order varies from city to city, but all are experiencing a halt to public transport services.

In Wuhan (population 11 million) and nearby Huanggang (population 7.5 million), markets and cinemas have been closed, roads have been shut, and train stations and airports closed.

5:59 a.m. ET, January 25, 2020

Qinghai Province confirms first case

From CNN’s Steven Jiang in Beijing.

The western China province of Qinghai has confirmed its first case of Wuhan Coronavirus, according to the local health authority.

The diagnosis brings the total number of people with the virus in mainland China to 1,288.

The only province without a recorded case is now Tibet.

5:58 a.m. ET, January 25, 2020

UK officials on hunt for thousands of patients who arrived from Wuhan

From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite in London.

There were three flights a week from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport to London's Heathrow Airport.
There were three flights a week from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport to London's Heathrow Airport. Ben Stansall/AFP

UK health officials are trying to track down hundreds of passengers who recently arrived from Wuhan -- the epicenter of the virus outbreak -- in the UK.

Before the temporary closure of Wuhan Tianhe International Airport on Thursday, "there were 3 flights a week" into London's Heathrow Airport, a spokeswoman of Public Health England told CNN.

"As an additional precaution, we are endeavouring to ensure that all passengers that have arrived from Wuhan in the last fortnight have the information they require to seek help if they begin to experience symptoms," Dr. Nick Phin, Deputy Director, National Infection Service, Public Health England, said in a statement.

This comes after all 14 suspected cases of the virus in the UK were given the all-clear on Friday.

4:46 a.m. ET, January 25, 2020

Wuhan to build extra hospital in 15 days

From CNN’s Yong Xiong in Beijing

Wuhan will be building a second hospital with 1,300 beds in the next 15 days, according to Chinese state media People’s Daily.

The announcement comes after health workers in the city warned that hospitals are running low on supplies as they struggle to cope with the outbreak of the virus.

4:03 a.m. ET, January 25, 2020

Hong Kong declares Wuhan virus outbreak an "emergency"

From journalist Chermaine Lee in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Disease contingency plan has been upgraded from “serious” to “emergency” level, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced in a press conference Saturday amid rising fears of the virus's spread.

Lam also said schools in the city will be suspended until February 17.

3:43 a.m. ET, January 25, 2020

These are the places where Wuhan coronavirus cases have been confirmed

Australia, Malaysia and Nepal all reported their first confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus on Saturday. There are now 13 places outside of mainland China where cases of the deadly virus have been confirmed.

As of the end of the day Friday, 1,287 cases had been confirmed in mainland China, mostly in Hubei province.

Here are the other places:

Hong Kong: 5 cases

Thailand: 5 cases

Australia: 4 cases

France: 3 cases

Japan: 3 cases

Malaysia: 3 cases

Singapore: 3 cases

Taiwan: 3 cases

Macao: 2 cases

South Korea: 2 cases

United States: 2 cases

Vietnam: 2 cases

Nepal: 1 case