Doctors and nurses in hazmat suits perform a caesarean section on a face mask-clad mother in Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The outbreak – that has infected more than 100,000 worldwide with a death toll of 3,594 – began in Wuhan in China’s Hubei province when the WHO was alerted by Chinese authorities to a number of pneumonia-like cases.
Since then the disease has spread to over 80 countries world wide, with 209 confirmed cases and two deaths in the UK.
The new mother also wore a mask as her newborn baby girl was gently shown to her by medics in Xiehe hospital, Wuhan
Doctors and nurses in hazmat suits perform a caesarean section on a face mask-clad mother in Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak
Doctors wearing head-to-toe hazmat suits, facemasks and goggles delivered a baby in Xiehe hospital in Wuhan yesterday
Doctors wearing head-to-toe hazmat suits, facemasks and goggles delivered a baby in Xiehe hospital.
The baby’s mother also wore a mask as her newborn baby girl was gently shown to her by medics.
China reported 44 new cases over the past 24 hours, the lowest rise since it began publishing nationwide figures, and 27 new fatalities.
However, around the world, more and more countries are bracing for a surge in virus cases.
A doctor in Xiehe hospital, Wuhan, comforts the mother before her caesarean section. South Korea – the nation most affected outside of China – reported 272 new cases, taking the total to 7,313
South Korea – the nation most affected outside of China – reported 272 new cases, taking the total to 7,313, with 50 deaths overall.
Italy has seen the biggest coronavirus outbreak in Europe with 1,247 cases in the last 24 hours – its biggest daily increase in cases since the outbreak began – taking the total to 5,883.
In a bid to combat the rise in cases, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte now put 16 million citizens in the north of the country under a coronavirus lockdown.
There was chaos and confusion hours before Mr Conte signed the decree, as word spread that the government was planning the quarantine.
China reported 44 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, the lowest rise since it began publishing nationwide figures, and 27 new fatalities. Pictured: A doctor comforts the mother before her caesarean section
Packed bars and restaurants emptied quickly as people rushed to the railway station in Padua’s Veneto region.
Other countries around the world were also limiting activities, with events and festivals called off, and travel restrictions and warnings issued.
A nosedive in tourist traffic and possible disruptions to supply chains sparked fears of a worldwide economic slowdown.
Saudi Arabia banned spectators at any sports competitions, and the NBA, as well as British and Japanese sports teams, are considering doing the same, as baseball and soccer seasons are starting.
A doctor in Wuhan checks on the baby ahead of the mother’s caesarean section. The doctor’s hair is covered, as is their mouth
The spread of the virus has also taken a psychological toll.
Authorities and manufacturers have been trying to assure panicking consumers they do not need to hoard toilet paper, which has vanished from store shelves in various nations.
Of particular concern are passenger-packed cruise ships, many of which are confronting their own virus problems.
The Grand Princess, where 21 people tested positive for the virus, was heading for the port of Oakland, California, after idling off San Francisco for several days. There is evidence that the ship was the breeding ground for a deadly cluster of almost 20 cases during an earlier voyage.
US Vice President Mike Pence said: ‘Those that will need to be quarantined will be quarantined. Those who will require medical help will receive it.’
President Donald Trump said he would have preferred not to let the passengers disembark on to American soil, but would defer to medical experts.
In Egypt, a cruise ship on the Nile with more than 150 people on board was under quarantine in the southern city of Luxor after 12 positive tests.
A medic shows the newborn baby girl to her mother as doctors continue to operate in Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak
Also on Saturday, the port of Penang in Malaysia turned away the cruise ship Costa Fortuna because 64 of the 2,000 on board are from Italy. The ship had already been rejected by Thailand, and is now heading to Singapore.
And in Malta, which reported its first case of the virus yesterday, the MSC Opera ship agreed not to enter the Mediterranean country’s port amid local worries – even though there are no infections suspected on board. The ship continued to Messina, Sicily, where passengers were allowed to disembark after officials reviewed medical records.
While the global death toll has risen past 3,400, more people have now recovered from the virus than are ill with it.
The baby’s father – who is also wearing a mask – meets his daughter for the first time after a medic carries her out of the operating theatre
The WHO told all countries to make containment ‘their highest priority’ as the global death toll reaches 3,000 with more than 100,000 confirmed cases. Pictured: Medics outside the operating room
The virus is still much less widespread than annual flu epidemics, which cause up to five million severe cases around the world and up to 650,000 deaths annually, according to the WHO.
In Iran, fears over the virus and the government’s waning credibility has become a major challenge to leaders already reeling from American sanctions. More than 1,000 infections were confirmed overnight, taking the country’s total to 5,823 cases, including 145 deaths.
South Korea, the hardest-hit country outside China, reported 93 new cases on Sunday morning, taking the total to 7,134, with 50 deaths overall.
China on Sunday morning reported 44 new cases over the past 24 hours, the lowest level since it began publishing nationwide figures on January 20, and 27 new deaths.
But while infections were increasing more slowly, the country was struck by a fresh tragedy: A hotel used for medical observation of people who had contact with coronavirus patients collapsed on Saturday, killing at least four people.
In the United States, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention urged older adults and people with severe medical conditions to ‘stay home as much as possible’ and avoid crowds.
The number of deaths linked to coronavirus in Washington state reached 16, although that figure could be higher, based on figures released by the nursing home at the centre of the outbreak.
The Life Care Centre of Kirkland said on Saturday that, since February 19, 26 of its residents have died. Typically, about three to seven residents die at the facility each month.
Even islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean have not been spared, with the tiny archipelago nation of the Maldives reporting its first cases. Health authorities there locked down two of its tourist resorts after two expatriate workers tested positive for the coronavirus.
It comes as the WHO told all countries to make containment ‘their highest priority’ as the global death toll reaches 3,000 with more than 100,000 confirmed cases.
The WHO called the spread of the coronavirus ‘deeply concerning’.