February 18 coronavirus news

By Helen Regan, Adam Renton and Ivana Kottasová, CNN

Updated 9:39 p.m. ET, February 18, 2020
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7:50 a.m. ET, February 18, 2020

Here's the latest on the coronavirus outbreak

Pedestrians wearing protective face masks walk along a street in Shanghai on Monday.
Pedestrians wearing protective face masks walk along a street in Shanghai on Monday. Credit: Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images

If you're just joining us, here's the latest you need to know about the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has topped 73,400, after China's National Health Commission reported more than 1,880 new confirmed cases.

Here's the latest:

The numbers: Ninety-eight additional deaths were recorded in mainland China on Monday, China’s National Health Commission said -- including 93 in Hubei province.

The global death toll is 1,873 deaths, including five people outside mainland China.

The number of cases outside mainland China is nearing 1,000, reported in 28 countries and regions.

"Credible risk" of global pandemic: French health minister Olivier Veran said on Tuesday there is a “credible risk” the novel coronavirus outbreak could turn into a pandemic.

Wuhan hospital director death: Liu Zhiming, head of the Wuchang hospital in Wuhan, died from the coronavirus this morning, the first hospital head to die of the virus.

China will designate medical workers who died while working to combat the virus as "martyrs."

Liu Zhiming, president of Wuhan's Wuchang Hospital, died at the age of 51 from the novel coronavirus pneumonia on Tuesday.
Liu Zhiming, president of Wuhan's Wuchang Hospital, died at the age of 51 from the novel coronavirus pneumonia on Tuesday. CCTV

Cruise ship cases spike again: There are 88 more cases of novel coronavirus on the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship currently docked in Yokohama, the Japanese health ministry announced on Tuesday. That brings the total number of cases from the ship to 544.

Cruise evacuations: The UK, Canada, Italy and Hong Kong are sending flights for their citizens onboard the Diamond Princess. The US has evacuated more than 300 Americans from the ship, 14 of whom have tested positive for the virus. 

Japan's health minister has confirmed that Diamond Princess disembarkation will begin on Wednesday.

Westerdam concerns: Questions are being raised over how an 83-year-old American woman, who had been on the first charter flight taking Westerdam cruise liner passengers to Malaysia, was infected. There are also queries about whether authorities will be retesting the other 2,257 passengers and crew, about half of whom who have already left the ship.

More flights reduced: Singapore Airlines says it is temporarily cutting flights across its global network due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. Destinations affected include Frankfurt, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Paris, London, Tokyo, Seoul, and routes across Australia and Southeast Asia.

Economic woes: Apple warned investors on Monday that the outbreak is hurting its business more than previously expected by limiting how many devices it can make and sell in China. The closing of Chinese plants has also disrupted supply chains globally, threatening to cause a recession in Germany and smartphone shortages worldwide.

Here's a look at where the cases are throughout mainland China, according to World Health Organization (WHO) data. These numbers may differ from those reported by Chinese health officials, who report updated totals at different times than the WHO.

7:19 a.m. ET, February 18, 2020

See the global spread of the novel coronavirus

Here's a look at where the cases are throughout the world, according to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) data.

These numbers may differ from those reported by national health authorities, who report updated totals at different times than the WHO.

7:04 a.m. ET, February 18, 2020

Apple warns it will take double hit from outbreak

From CNN Business' Seth Fiegerman in New York

Employees wear face masks at an Apple Store in Beijing on Monday.
Employees wear face masks at an Apple Store in Beijing on Monday. Credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

Apple warned investors on Monday that the ongoing coronavirus outbreak is hurting its business more than previously expected by limiting how many devices it can both make and sell in China.

In an investor update, Apple said it no longer expects to meet the revenue guidance it provided last month for the upcoming quarter. "Work is starting to resume around the country, but we are experiencing a slower return to normal conditions than we had anticipated," the company said.

Read the whole story here.

6:48 a.m. ET, February 18, 2020

A new campaign aims to help Chinese restaurants losing business over coronavirus fears

From CNN's Jessie Yeung

Staff clear a table at a Chinese restaurant in Melbourne, Australia, on February 14.
Staff clear a table at a Chinese restaurant in Melbourne, Australia, on February 14. Credit: William West/AFP/Getty Images

Chinese restaurants in Australia and elsewhere have been suffering for nearly two months, with many reporting a drop in business due to public fears over the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Now, a social media campaign in Australia is urging communities to rally around their local Chinese restaurant, as authorities warn against the danger of misinformation and racialized stigma.

The campaign, launched this week by Australian political activist group GetUp!, encourages people to show their support by spreading the hashtag #IWillEatWithYou and pledging to support struggling Chinese businesses.

7:14 a.m. ET, February 18, 2020

Overseas workers from the Philippines allowed to return to Hong Kong and Macao

From journalist Jinky Jorgio in Manila

The Philippines is exempting its citizens who are employed abroad from a travel ban that barred them from returning to work in Hong Kong and Macao due to coronavirus fears, the Department of Foreign Affairs undersecretary tweeted Tuesday.

The travel restrictions were put in place by the Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on February 2, leaving thousands of Oversees Filipino Workers (OFWs), as the expat workers are known in the country, stranded in the Philippines.

The stuck OFWs were each awarded a cash aid of US$197 (10,000 Philippine peso) and provided with dormitories and food.

There are over 210,000 Filipino workers working in Hong Kong and 32,000 in Macao, according to CNN Philippines.

6:06 a.m. ET, February 18, 2020

Coronavirus will hurt Japan's GDP, economists say

Economists at the research firm Capital Economics have tried to estimate the impact the novel coronavirus outbreak could have on Japan's already struggling economy.

The world's third biggest economy is already flirting with recession, and the novel coronavirus could push it over the edge.

The outbreak is already hurting Japan's important tourism sector. "The number of air passenger leaving Hong Kong has plunged by 90% since the Lunar New Year and tourist arrivals from China may have fallen by a similar amount," Marcel Thieliant, Capital Economics' senior Japan economist, wrote in a note on Tuesday.

Thieliant said the slump in tourist arrivals will most likely knock around 0.4 percentage points off Japan's GDP growth in the first quarter. However, he added there was "a growing risk" that an outbreak of the virus in Japan could hurt consumer spending.

The firm now expects Japan's economy to shrink by 0.5% in 2020.

5:53 a.m. ET, February 18, 2020

Here's how long coronaviruses may linger on contaminated surfaces, according to science

From Jacqueline Howard, CNN Health

Concerns are mounting about how long the novel coronavirus may survive on surfaces -- so much so that China's central bank has taken measures to deep clean and destroy its cash, which changes hands multiple times a day, in an effort to contain the virus.

It is unknown exactly how long the novel coronavirus can linger on contaminated surfaces and objects with the potential of infecting people, but some researchers are finding clues by studying the elusive behaviors of other coronaviruses.

Cleaning with common household products can make a difference, according to the research, which also found that human coronaviruses "can be efficiently inactivated by surface disinfection procedures with 62-71% ethanol, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite" or bleach within one minute.

5:41 a.m. ET, February 18, 2020

Scores more Diamond Princess passengers infected

From CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo

The quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship is pictured at Yokohama port on Monday.
The quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship is pictured at Yokohama port on Monday.

There are 88 more cases of novel coronavirus on the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship currently docked in Yokohama, the Japanese health ministry announced on Tuesday.

That brings the total number of cases from the ship to 544, and 606 in Japan as a whole.

Around 3,600 passengers have been quarantined on the vessel in the Japanese port since February 4.

More than 300 US citizens were evacuated from the Diamond Princess and flown to the United States over the weekend.

5:18 a.m. ET, February 18, 2020

How Canada plans to evacuate its citizens from the Diamond Princess cruise ship

From CNN’s Mick Krever and Matt Rivers in Tokyo

The Canadian Government plans to evacuate its citizens from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama on Thursday, February 20, according to an email sent to a passenger on board and obtained by CNN.

The email from Global Affairs Canada says:

"We will inform you of the exact departure time approximately 24 hours before the flight.
This will be confirmed in a separate message which will also include instructions on disembarking the ship and boarding the Canadian flight."

The email notes that passengers should not leave the ship on Wednesday when the quarantine begins to lift, even if eligible to do so. The flight will leave from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport

“Please note that if you leave the ship before you are instructed to do so, it will not be possible to board the assisted Canadian flight.”