Coronavirus: Trump says US risk 'very low' as Australian PM warns pandemic is 'upon us' - MW

Donald Trump sought to eliminate the threat of the coronavirus despite worries about the infection worldwide, while Prime Minister Lat presented an emergency plan and declared that the risk of pandemic was very high. a lot for us.

At a press conference in Washington, the President said that the danger to the Americans was still very low and predicted that the number of cases diagnosed in the country, currently at 15, could be reduced to zero in a few- each. day.

We have been very successful, very successful, far beyond what people would think. At the same time, you have a number of epidemics in several countries - Italy and different countries are having difficulties, he said, in comments which seem to be contradicted by officials in his administration. in the same press conference.

Coronavirus News: Saudi Arabia suspended pilgrimage as Iran increases costs
Read more
The president also said that the stock markets, which have experienced significant declines in recent days due to the global economic impact of the virus, will recover, even attempting to blame the Democratic Leadership Debate on losses on Wall Street.

However, the growing threat of the pandemic has forced Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, a staunch Trump ally, to publish a national emergency response plan, which could include mass vaccinations and isolate large numbers of people in sports stadiums if necessary.

There are signs around the world that will soon enter the pandemic virus phase, Morr Morrison told reporters in Canberra. We believe that the risk of a pandemic is enormous for us and the government must take the necessary measures to prepare for such a pandemic.

Morrison said after new evidence has come from the rest of the world that the number of viral infections, which have killed nearly 3,000 people and infected more than 82,000 people, is growing out of control and as a country promoting their political responses:

• South Korea reported a further 334 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total to 1,595 – the highest number outside mainland China. Most of the cases were again centred on Daegu where a church at the centre of the country’s outbreak is located.
• Iran’s state-run Irna news agency reported that 22 people had died – more than in any country apart from China – and that there were 141 confirmed cases. Experts fear Iran is underreporting the number of cases as cases across the wider Persian Gulf have emerged in recent days linked back to the Islamic Republic.
• Saudi Arabia temporarily banned foreign pilgrims from entering the country to make a pilgrimage to Mecca.
• China reported 433 new confirmed cases, and 29 deaths.
• Britain is preparing for a surge in cases by launching a mass public information campaign in case of an Italy-sized outbreak.
• Denmark recorded its first case, a man returning after a skiing holiday in Italy. Estonia, Pakistan, Georgia, Norway, Macedonia, Greece and Romania were among countries to report their first case of coronavirus in the last 24 hours.
• Italian prosecutors launched an investigation into the alleged failure of a hospital in Lombardy to test a man believed to be the first to transmit the infection in the area, as infections surged over 400.
• Concerns continued to mount about major events such as the Tokyo Olympics with Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe saying athletes would have to put their health first when considering whether it was safe to attend.

Trump, who said he was placing vice-president Mike Pence in charge of coordinating the US response, lavished praise on health officials but they delivered a different message to the president’s.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, deputy director general of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), seemed to reiterate her organization's warning on Tuesday that more circulation in the United States was inevitable. .

Our active containment strategy here in the United States has worked and is responsible for the weak circumstances we have experienced so far. However, we are really expecting more cases, said Schuchat.

US Secretary of Health Alex Azar has asked for emergency funding of $ 2.5 billion ($ 1.94 billion) from Congress to increase preparedness in the United States, but Democratic lawmakers say it is unsatisfactory and have proposed a package of $ 8.5 billion.

A warning of potential danger in the United States came from the CDCP shortly after Trump finished speaking. They say that a person in northern California has been infected with the virus without leaving the United States or being involved in a confirmed case.

A blizzard of bleak economic data and commentary also flew in the face of Trump’s more optimistic assessment that “stock markets will recover. The economy is very strong.”

The selloff in shares, which has seen the Dow Jones industrial average on Wall Street lose 7% this week already, continued on Thursday in Asia Pacific with more heavy losses as investors surveyed a cratering of demand as well as disrupted supply chains.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei closed down 2.13%, the Kospi index lost 0.73% and the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong was down 0.7% in afternoon trade.

US stock futures trading in Asia pointed to a 1.5% fall on Wall Street later on Thursday while the FTSE100 is expected to shed 2% at the opening bell, compounding the week’s already heavy losses.