March 18 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, Helen Regan, Steve George, Angela Dewan and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 9:37 p.m. ET, March 18, 2020
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9:05 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

Global coronavirus deaths top 8,000, cases reach 200,000, Johns Hopkins reports

The number of people who have died from the coronavirus globally has exceeded 8,000, while the number of infections has soared past 200,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The same university reported that 100,000 people were infected on March 6, meaning that the number of cases has doubled in just 12 days.

Remember: This number is slightly different to the latest count from the World Health Organization, which is reporting over 184,000 cases and more than 7,500 deaths. Johns Hopkins, based in Baltimore, Maryland, and WHO report tallies at different times of the day, so the counts often differ.

Medical personnel take samples at a "drive-thru" coronavirus testing lab in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 16.
Medical personnel take samples at a "drive-thru" coronavirus testing lab in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 16. Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images

These are the worst-affected countries by deaths, according to Johns Hopkins:

  • China (Hubei): 3,122  
  • Italy: 2,503 
  • Iran: 988 
  • Spain: 558
  • France: deaths 
  • South Korea, 84
  • UK: 71 deaths 
  • US: 55 deaths 
  • Netherlands: 43
  • Japan: 29

And these are the most affected by cases, according to Johns Hopkins:

  • China: 81,102 
  • Italy 31,506 
  • Iran 16,169 
  • Spain 13,716
  • German 9,877
  • South Korea 8,413 
  • France 7,696 
  • US 6,496
  • Switzerland 2,700 
  • UK 1,960 
7:47 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

Iran coronavirus deaths top 1,000

From CNN's Ramin Mostaghim in Tehran

Funeral prayers are performed at Beheshte Masoumeh Cemetery for victims of the coronavirus outbreak in Qom, Iran on March 17.
Funeral prayers are performed at Beheshte Masoumeh Cemetery for victims of the coronavirus outbreak in Qom, Iran on March 17. Fatemah Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Iran has confirmed 147 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, bringing the country’s total death toll to 1,135.

Iran has been the epicenter of the outbreak in the Middle East, as countries including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait report cases linked to the Iranian city of Qom, which hosts many holy sites.

Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi advised people in Iran to stay at home for a two-week period in a bid to stem the spread of the disease.

Iran has canceled Friday prayers for a third week in a row. Many Iranians would have been celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year, on Friday this week.

The country has struggled to slow the rapid spread of the virus, which has infected a number of lawmakers and killed advisers to senior government officials.

Authorities also confirmed an additional 1,192 cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 17,361.

7:42 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

Japan and IOC determined to hold 2020 Olympics despite growing dissent among leading athletes

From CNN's George Ramsay and Aleks Klosok

Olympic Rings are seen next to the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland on March 17.
Olympic Rings are seen next to the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland on March 17. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

Dissent is growing among leading athletes as they voice concerns about preparing for the Olympics amid the novel coronavirus outbreak after organizers encouraged them to continue preparation as planned.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Tuesday that no "drastic decisions" will be made about the Games, which get underway in Tokyo in July, and that measures are being taken to guarantee the "safety and interests of athletes, coaches and support teams."

But athletes believe they have been forced into an impossible position given the virus, which has infected more that 198,000 people worldwide and killed at least 7,900.

In a statement to CNN, the IOC said: “This is an exceptional situation which requires exceptional solutions.”

“The IOC is committed to finding a solution with the least negative impact for the athletes, while protecting the integrity of the competition and the athletes’ health."

On Tuesday, the UK's world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson expressed her frustration at the situation.

In a statement posted on social media she said: “The IOC and the Local Government are at odds with one another.”

“The IOC advice 'encourages athletes to continue to prepare for the Olympics Games as best as they can' with the Olympics only four months away but the government legislation is enforcing isolation at home, with tracks, gyms and public spaces closed.”

7:42 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

Glastonbury 2020 music festival canceled

Crowds watch a performance at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2019.
Crowds watch a performance at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2019. Leon Neal/Getty Images

This year's Glastonbury music festival in the United Kingdom has been canceled, the event's organizers said on Twitter Wednesday.

"Clearly this was not a course of action we hoped to take for our 50th anniversary event, but following the new government measures announced this week - and in times of such unprecedented uncertainty - this is now our only viable option."

Scheduled to headline the June event was Kendrick Lamar, Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift and Diana Ross.

Kendrick Lamar performs in Buenos Aires, Argentina in March 2019. The American rapper was due to be one of the Glastonbury 2020 headliners.
Kendrick Lamar performs in Buenos Aires, Argentina in March 2019. The American rapper was due to be one of the Glastonbury 2020 headliners. Santiago Bluguermann/Getty Images

Organizers said they had expected to attract more than 200,000 people to the festival in Somerset, western England; even if the situation improved by June they would be unable to spend the next three months preparing for the event.

Those who have paid deposits on tickets would be entitled to a refund or to roll them over to the 2021 event.

8:32 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

UK retailers impose measures against panic buying as items like hand sanitizer run out

From CNN's Nina dos Santos, Mick Krever, Samantha Tapfumaneyi and Niamh Kennedy in London 

The UK's largest pharmacy chain Boots has joined other retailers in imposing rations on items like hand sanitizer, as shoppers panic-buy products during the coronavirus outbreak.

In Boots stores across London, items like thermometers, paracetemol and hand soap have sold out. Hand soap sales alone are at about 1,000% of usual levels, the company says.

"Clearly people are very anxious," Boots Chief Operating Officer for the UK and Ireland Tracey Clements told CNN.

"So customers may find we have [a product] for a part of the day, but not the whole of the day, but we continue to try and procure as much as possible."

Shoppers wait for a Boots pharmacy store to open on March 8, in Cardiff, Wales.
Shoppers wait for a Boots pharmacy store to open on March 8, in Cardiff, Wales. Matthew Horwood/Getty Images

Supermarket chain Sainsbury's also announced it would implement a series of measures, including some to help the elderly and vulnerable ensure they get the items they need.

"We will set aside the first hour in every supermarket this Thursday 19th March for elderly and vulnerable customers," Sainsbury's Chief Executive Officer Mike Coupe said in a statement shared on Twitter on Wednesday. 

"We will also help elderly and vulnerable customers to access food online. From Monday 23rd March, our online customers who are over 70 years of age or have a disability will have priority access to online delivery slots."

7:43 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

Coronavirus adviser to UK government believes he's been infected, warns of virus in Westminster

A top adviser to the UK government in the country's coronavirus response believes he has caught the disease, confirming he had been in meetings with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other senior officials before developing symptoms.

Neil Ferguson is head of the modelling program at Imperial College London's center for global infectious disease analysis, and it was his team's research that prompted the UK government to impose more restrictive measures to slow the virus' spread.

Ferguson announced his possible infection on Twitter, and told the BBC's Radio 4 program that just days before he had been in touch with the Prime Minister and the country's chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, and chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance.

“I’ve been in so many meetings in the last few weeks and a number of my colleagues from other universities who’ve been advising government in those meetings have also developed symptoms," he told the BBC.

He said he had not had contact with anyone in the 12 hours prior to the onset of his symptoms, so it is possible he was not infectious at the time of his meetings with officials.

He added that he wasn't surprised to have developed coronavirus symptoms, adding that central London was a hotspot.

6:46 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

Hong Kong reports largest increase in cases after period of slowdown, raising fears of a second wave

From CNN's Alex Lin in Hong Kong

Officials arrive at a public housing building as residents are evacuated from their home to a quarantine center, after multiple infections of the novel coronavirus were detected at a housing estate in Hong Kong on March 14.
Officials arrive at a public housing building as residents are evacuated from their home to a quarantine center, after multiple infections of the novel coronavirus were detected at a housing estate in Hong Kong on March 14. Anthony Kwan/Getty Images

Hong Kong reported its largest increase in new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, after a period of apparent slowdown in infections.

For most of March, few, if any, cases were reported every day. Today, there were 14 new cases -- all of which except one had recent international travel history.

This brings the city's total to 182 cases.

Wong Ka-hing, of Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection, warned today that a huge volume of travelers is expected to arrive in Hong Kong in the coming days, especially as students abroad arrive home after university closures.

This has raised alarm that there may be a second wave of infections, with travelers abroad potentially bringing back many new infections and forming new clusters.

Starting Thursday, all international arrivals will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days.

5:52 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

Three Americans tourists are stuck in Peru after border closures

From CNN's Amanda Jackson

Courtesy Shanna Wiles
Courtesy Shanna Wiles

Three American tourists went to Lima, Peru, for a yoga retreat in the Sacred Valley at Munay Sanqo.

Now, the borders are shut, the country is under quarantine -- and they're stuck.

Lisa Kolker, one of the three friends, told CNN that their flight from Cusco to Lima had been delayed, making them miss the next connecting flight out of Peru, just before the border closed on Sunday.

The abrupt short-notice closures have left her group scrambling to find a way back home, and the next flight they were able to book isn't until April 3.

The closures "literally all happened in the middle of the night when no one could do anything," Kolker said. She first heard about the closures on Sunday from "a random European woman," but a lack of information online fed confusion -- it wasn't until the next morning that they realized the seriousness of the situation.

She has reached out to the US embassy and the State Department, but hasn't heard back yet.

What life in Peru looks like now: Jenn Moeller, one of Kolker's friends, said when the border closures were announced, "things suddenly went into chaos."

"Streets are being patrolled by police and militia with lots of road stops and road closures," she told CNN. "We were allowed to walk to grocery stores and pharmacies today. We were stopped once by militia who asked for passports and where we were going."

Read more about the hundreds of Americans stuck in Peru:

5:34 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

South and Southeast Asia must ramp up response, says WHO regional director

From CNN's Esha Mitra and Manveena Suri

Students wear face masks during a ceremony at Attarkiah Islamic School in Narathiwat, Thailand on March 17.
Students wear face masks during a ceremony at Attarkiah Islamic School in Narathiwat, Thailand on March 17. Madaree Tohlala/AFP/Getty Images

Countries in South and Southeast Asia must “urgently scale-up aggressive measures” and widespread testing to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, said World Health Organization officials.

Eight countries in the region have confirmed cases now, with numbers rising in the past week: Thailand, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.

"The situation is evolving rapidly, we need to scale up all efforts to prevent the virus from infecting more people," said Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director of WHO Southeast Asia, in a press release Tuesday.

“More clusters of virus transmission are being confirmed. While this is an indication of an alert and effective surveillance, it also puts the spotlight on the need for more aggressive and whole of society efforts to prevent further spread of COVID-19. We clearly need to do more, and urgently,” Singh said.

She warned that some countries are “clearly heading towards community transmission of Covid-19.”

  • In Sri Lanka, all incoming flights are suspended for the next two weeks.
  • In India, the Indian Council of Medical Research has asked the WHO for a million test kits, and the government has expanded a travel ban on incoming travelers.
  • The Maldives and Bangladesh confirmed their first cases last week. Bhutan confirmed its first case earlier this month.
  • Indonesia has extended a travel ban across much of Europe and the Middle East, and has suspended some visa services.
  • Thailand was the first country outside China to get the coronavirus. This weekend, it confirmed the largest single-day increase in cases so far.
  • Nepal has canceled all Mount Everest expeditions for the rest of the season -- a huge move, given that it's nearly peak season, and that Everest and tourism are crucial to the country's economy.