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Netanyahu set to declare narrow victory in Israeli election - party spokesmanIsraelis played down the possible effect of coronavirus on their plans to vote in the country's national election, as the nation goes to the polls for the third time in less than a year. Olivia Chan reports.
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Mired in stalemate, Israel holds another election on Netanyahu's futureIsraelis head to the polls on Monday for their third election in a year - hoping to break the country's political deadlock. David Doyle reports.
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U.S. ramps up preparations for coronavirus as conferences, flights cancelledSecretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar on Sunday would not predict how many Americans would contract the coronavirus, but said the U.S., which currently has the capability to test 75,000 people "in the field," is planning a "radical expansion" beyond that in the coming weeks. Lisa Bernhard has more.
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Ireland has confirmed its first case of coronavirus.
A man has tested positive for the Covid-19 pathogen in the east of the Irish Republic, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan announced on Saturday.
It joins a host of countries to confirm their first cases on Saturday, including Luxembourg, Ecuador, and Qatar.
Related: For the global reaction to the coronavirus outbreak, click HERE
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The virus has caused nearly 80,000 infections and 2,835 deaths in China, according to official figures.
It has spread to at least 46 countries, where more than 3,700 cases and 50 deaths have been reported, according to the World Health Organisation, which raised its global spread and impact risk alert to "very high" on Friday.
Northern Ireland said the region’s first case of coronavirus, which was reported on Thursday, has been confirmed by laboratory tests.
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A man wearing a facemask in the arrivals hall of Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport. (PA)
Meanwhile, Three more patients have tested positive for the coronavirus in England, bringing the total number of UK cases to 23 while the US has confirmed 22 cases and its first death.
In Ireland, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre was alerted to the first case in the country on Saturday.
It is associated with travel from an affected area in northern Italy, rather than contact with another confirmed case.
Dr Holohan said the patient was receiving appropriate medical care.
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Irish Minister for Health Simon Harris (centre) holds a leaflet which forms part of the public awareness campaign for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in the baggage hall of Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport. (PA)
"This is not unexpected. We have been preparing for this eventuality for many weeks now," he said.
"Public health protocols have been in place since January and are operating effectively.
"The health service is well used to managing infectious diseases and has robust response measures in place."
Dr John Cuddihy, director of Ireland’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre, said: “The HSE (Health Service Executive) is now working rapidly to identify any contacts the patient may have had, to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.
“It is important to note that the risk of transmission through casual contact is low.”
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A sign which forms part of the public awareness campaign for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in the arrivals hall of Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport. (PA)
Meanwhile, Brazil's Health Ministry on Saturday confirmed the country's second case of the fast-spreading new coronavirus, diagnosed in a patient in São Paulo who had recently visited Italy.
Authorities said they were gathering information and more details would be provided later. Brazil's first case of the novel coronavirus was confirmed on Feb. 26, during the country's carnival holiday, a peak time for domestic travel.
Luxembourg also confirmed its first coronavirus case on Saturday, the RTL news outlet reported.
The patient was a man in his 40s who had recently travelled to Italy and returned via Belgium's Charleroi airport, Health Minister Paulette Lenert said, according to RTL.
Qatar also reported its first case on Saturday.
Pictures: Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
China has been battling an outbreak of a new SARS-like coronavirus (COVID-19), which originated in Wuhan. The virus has claimed over 2,000 lives in mainland China – surpassing the death toll during the SARS outbreak in 2003 – and infected more than 75,000 people around the world. Outside mainland China, Philippines reported its first fatality on Feb. 2, Hong Kong on Feb. 4, Japan on Feb. 14, and France and Taiwan on Feb. 15. A second person died in Hong Kong on Feb. 19. The other countries and regions infected by the novel coronavirus are Egypt, Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Malaysia, Nepal, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, UAE, the U.K., the U.S. and Vietnam. On Feb. 11, World Health Organization (WHO) announced a new name for the virus – COVID-19, which stands for Corona Virus Disease 19. The WHO, on Feb. 17, said that the data provided by China indicates a drop in the number of new cases but cautioned that “every scenario is on the table.”
(Pictured) A man wearing a face mask rides an escalator at the Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in China, on Feb. 18.
Media personnel chase after a passenger (C) who disembarked from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was in quarantine due to fears of the new COVID-19, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, Japan, on Feb. 19. Several hundred passengers who endured the horrid 14-day quarantine started de-boarding the ship, if tested negative, on the day. Seven new infected cases were reported in Japan raising the total to 68 outside the ship.
A tourist, wearing a protective face mask amid COVID-19 fears, takes photographs at Marina Bay in Singapore on Feb. 18. The country has more than 80 infected cases so far and has unveiled $4.6 billion in financial packages to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, which has battered the city-state’s economy and sparked fears of a recession.
Waiters wearing protective face masks wait for customers outside a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Feb. 17.
A woman wears a protective face mask as she sits on a bus in Bangkok, Thailand, on Feb. 17.
Indians who were airlifted from Wuhan wait to collect their release certificates before leaving the ITBP quarantine facility in New Delhi, India, on Feb. 17.
Military medics stand in a formation after deplaning from a transport aircraft of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) at the Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, China, on Feb. 17.
People stand near the Westerdam cruise ship in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on Feb. 18. The liner was docked five days ago after being refused entry at other Asian ports due to fears of the novel coronavirus.
People wear face masks and plastic raincoats as protection at the Shanghai railway station in China, on Feb. 17.
A press conference on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak is held by the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council in Beijing, China, on Feb. 17.
Doctor Hangzhou Lu, co-director of Shanghai Public Clinical Center Shanghai, shows a quarantine room for coronavirus patients at the finished but still unused building A2, in Shanghai on Feb. 17.
A teacher gives a lecture with the help of her smart phone during an online class at a middle school in Donghai, China, on Feb. 17.
Liang Yu, ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Peru, gives a press conference about the coronavirus outbreak and economy to foreign correspondents in Lima, Peru, on Feb. 17.
French Health and Solidarity Minister Olivier Véran addresses the media at Bichat hospital in Paris, France, on Feb. 17, on the COVID-19 outbreak.
A couple wearing masks kiss at a shopping area in downtown Shanghai on Feb. 16.
A volunteer cuts a man's hair in Chongqing, China, on Feb. 16. Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, most barbershops have been closed. A community in the Beibei district of Chongqing organized a team of volunteer barbers to provide free haircuts for its residents.
Staff of a catering company prepare meals for frontline medical workers in Shijiazhuang, China, on Feb. 16.
A worker wearing a protective face mask removes stickers from the window of a shop in Shanghai on Feb. 17.
Pictures of Pakistani students studying in Wuhan, China, are displayed by their family members during a demonstration in Lahore, Pakistan, on Feb. 16. The family members are demanding the evacuation of their relatives.
Jewish worshipers take part in a prayer for those affected by the coronavirus, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel, on Feb. 16. The placard in Hebrew and Chinese reads "The Jewish people pray for China."
A U.S. passenger gives a thumbs up to reporters while arriving at the Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 17, after disembarking in Yokohama from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
An aviation security officer wearing a protective mask stands guard at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Feb. 15.
Nepalese nationals who were in Wuhan walk out from a Nepal Airlines plane at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, on Feb. 16. The chartered plane brought back 175 nationals from Hubei province.
A classroom is cleaned in preparation for students' return to school in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Feb. 15.
The big screen displays a message of support in relation to the ongoing fight against coronavirus during a Premier League football match between Southampton and Burnley FC in Southampton, England, on Feb. 15.
A traffic police official checks a car in Xiaogan, China, amid snowfall on Feb. 15.
People wearing face masks do physical exercises at a park in Beijing on Feb. 15.
Two buses leave the port where the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship is docked in Yokohama, on Feb. 15.
A woman is seen wearing a protective mask as she holds a rose on Valentine's Day, while waiting for the subway at a station during rush hour in Beijing, on Feb. 14.
A woman wears a mask while traveling in a bus in downtown Shanghai, China, on Feb. 13.
The Westerdam cruise ship is seen past fishing boats as it approaches the port in Sihanoukville on Feb. 13, where the liner had received permission to dock after been refused entry at other Asian ports due to fears of the virus.
A staff member scans the temperature of visitors at the Singapore Airshow on Feb. 13.
An employee receives payment from a customer through a container on a stick, in Beijing on Feb. 12. A ramp has also been set up to deliver food from the counter.
Visitors wear protective masks as they walk through a nearly empty shopping mall in Beijing on Feb. 12.
Customers have lunch with a transparent plastic panel set up on the table to isolate each other and prevent the spread of the virus, in Hong Kong on Feb. 12.
A nearly empty subway train is seen in Beijing on Feb. 12.
Members of Japan Self-Defense Force attach a military vehicle to a gate of the Diamond Princess on Feb. 12.
A security guard wears a face mask in a subway in Beijing on Feb. 12.
Workers wear masks as they walk outside their dormitory in an electronics manufacturing factory in Shanghai on Feb. 12.
An officer checks the temperature of passengers as a precautionary measure at a border crossing between Syria and Lebanon in Jdaidit Yabws on Feb. 12.
A man wears protective mask at the Shanghai railway station in China on Feb. 12.
A laboratory technician helps a colleague remove the protective suit after leaving a laboratory in Shenyang, China, on Feb. 12.
A woman fixes her mask as she waits for tourists at her shop at Chang Siam Park in Pattaya, Thailand, on Feb. 12.
A worker checks the temperature of a customer at a supermarket in Beijing on Feb 11.
Members of the media stand near the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama on Feb. 11.
People wear masks as a precautionary measure at the Seoul railway station in South Korea on Feb. 10.
A resident wearing a protective face mask looks on at Patan Durbar Square in Patan, Nepal, on Feb. 10.
A Malaysian Royal Guard wears a protective mask as he stands guard outside National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Feb. 10.
Tourists wearing face masks visit Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea, on Feb. 10.
People wear protective masks as they wait to cross the street in Hong Kong on Feb. 10.
A worker wearing a protective suit carries a fogging machine as others prepare to disinfect a business establishment in Shanghai on Feb. 9.
A passenger wearing a mask walks outside the Shanghai railway station in China on Feb. 8.
Workers produce protective clothing at a factory in Wuxi, China, on Feb. 8. The factory, which previously produced suits and sportswear, switched to production of protective clothing as demand increased due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
Family members of passengers from the cruise ship World Dream docked at Kai Tak cruise terminal, wave on shore in Hong Kong on Feb. 8. The cruise ship with approximately 1,800 passengers remained quarantined in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor on Feb. 8. Several passengers from mainland China on a previous World Dream cruise were found to have the new coronavirus on returning home.
A Hindu devotee wears a mask as she carries a milk pot on her head at a shrine in Batu Caves during the Thaipusam festival in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 8.
French Health and Solidarity Minister Agnès Buzyn leaves after attending a meeting about the situation of the n-CoV 2019 coronavirus, in Paris, France, on Feb. 8. The minister said that five British nationals including a child have tested positive for the new coronavirus in France.
Tourists wearing face masks line up near a departure gate at the airport in Bali, Indonesia, on Feb. 8. Thousands of Chinese tourists are reportedly stranded in Bali following suspension of all flights to and from China.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam speaks to the media during a press conference on the coronavirus situation in Hong Kong on Feb. 8. Lam said that the government has bought 48 million masks and received 17 million more from China to counter the shortage of masks in Hong Kong.
South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun has his temperature checked during a visit to a clinic in Gyeonggi, South Korea, on Feb. 8.
People wearing masks walk in a subway station in Hong Kong on Feb. 7.
People look on from the quarantined cruise liner Diamond Princess, in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, on Feb. 7. About 64 passengers from the ship have tested positive for the virus. Another ship, the World Dream, has been docked and quarantined at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong. It has 3,600 passengers and crew on board.
Flight attendants wearing protective clothing and masks serve snacks to Canadians, who had been evacuated from China due to the outbreak of novel Coronavirus on an American charter plane, on another aircraft taking them to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Trenton from the Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, Canada, on Feb. 7.
Nurses check the temperature of visitors at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 5.
Joe Parisi, Dane County executive, discusses the first confirmed case of coronavirus in a Wisconsin resident as Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway looks on during a news conference in Madison, Wisconsin, on Feb. 5.
Workers in protective gear are seen on Japan Coast Guard boats in Yokohama, on Feb. 5, bringing patients from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship.
Workers wearing protective gears spray disinfectant on a street at Namdaemun Market in Seoul on Feb. 5.
A public health ministry nurse measures the temperature of a passenger arriving from France, at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Feb. 4.
Employees wearing face masks are seen at a hotel near Algiers, Algeria, on Feb. 4, where people who were evacuated from Wuhan.
Sylvie Briand, director of infectious hazard management department at the World Health Organization (WHO), attends a press conference on the coronavirus in Geneva, Switzerland, on Feb. 4.
Beds are set up at an exhibition center, which was converted into a hospital, in Wuhan on Feb. 4.
This handout photo released by Malaysia's Ministry of Health shows citizens being directed onto a bus by health officials as they arrive at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia in Feb. 4.
People wear face masks as they go about their daily lives in Singapore on Feb. 4.
Medical workers hold a strike outside the office of Hospital Authority in Hong Kong, as they demand the closure of borders with China, on Feb. 4.
A nurse checks the temperature of a visitor as part of the coronavirus screening procedure at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 3.
Police walk past signage before the arrival of Myanmar students, who were evacuated on a chartered flight from Wuhan, at the international airport in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Feb. 2.
Members of the Association for Sri Lanka and China Social and Cultural Cooperation (ASLCSCC) hold candles during a vigil to pray for people who are suffering from coronavirus across the world, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Feb. 1.
German Minister for Defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (R) and German Minister for Health Jens Spahn give a joint statement in Bonn, Germany, on Feb. 1, on the evacuation of more than 100 German citizens from Wuhan following the coronavirus outbreak.
Arnaud Fontanet, director of global health department at Institut Pasteur, speaks during a news conference over the latest findings on coronavirus in Paris on Jan. 31.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, and Didier Houssin, chair of the emergency committee, at the opening of the second meeting of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee for Pneumonia due to the Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV in Geneva on Jan. 30.
Medical staff with protective clothing are seen inside a ward specialized in treating people who may have been infected with the virus, at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General hospital in Chennai, India, on Jan. 29.
Passengers arriving on flights wear protective masks at the international airport in Auckland, New Zealand, on Jan. 29.
Students disinfect their hands before entering class at a school in Phnom Penh, on Jan. 28. Cambodia's health ministry reported the country's first case of coronavirus on Jan. 27.
A woman wearing a protective mask prays at the Lungshan Temple on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, in Taipei on Jan. 28.
Paramilitary officers wearing face masks stand guard at the Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, on Jan. 27.
Dr. David Williams, the chief medical officer of Ontario (C), speaks as Dr. Eileen de Villa, medical officer of health for the city of Toronto (L) and Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Ontario's associate chief medical officer of health, during a press briefing on coronavirus at Queens Park in Toronto, Canada, on Jan. 27. The Ontario health officials announced the confirmation of the first case of coronavirus in Toronto, along with a presumptive second case of the virus in the city.
Images captured by a thermographic imaging device to check the temperatures of arriving passengers at a quarantine station are seen on a monitor at the Oscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport in San Luis Talpa, El Salvador, on Jan. 26.
A security force member stands in front of the pandemic center where a suspected case of coronavirus is under observation at Félix Houphouët Boigny International Airport in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Jan. 26.
A banner placed by Indian health workers is seen during a coronavirus information camp for travelers at an India-Nepal border crossing, near Siliguri, India, on Jan. 26.
(L-R) Sabine Hagenauer of the infection department at the 4th medical department of Kaiser Franz Josef Hospital, Michael Binder, medical director of the Vienna Hospital Association, and Judith Aberle of the department of virology, Medical University Vienna, address a press conference at Kaiser-Franz-Josef hospital in Vienna, Austria, on Jan. 26. A Chinese flight attendant was quarantined in the hospital with symptoms of flu, in what authorities suspected as the first coronavirus case in the country.
A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing, on Jan. 25.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam addresses a press conference in Hong Kong on Jan. 25. Announcing a citywide virus emergency, Lam ordered the cancellation of all official trips to mainland China and school shutdown till Feb. 17.
Security personnel wearing hazardous material suits measure body temperatures of passenger at the entrance of a subway station in Beijing on Jan. 25.
A disinfection worker wearing protective gear sprays anti-septic solution in a train at SRT train station in Seoul, on Jan. 24.
Sanitation workers spray a disinfectant at Suseo Station in Seoul, on Jan. 24.
A passenger holds up an Australian Government document pertaining to the coronavirus as passengers arrive at Sydney International Airport in Australia on Jan. 23.
Locals wear face masks while browsing in a store ahead of the Lunar New Year, in Taipei, on Jan. 23, 2020. A day earlier, Taiwan stopped sending tour groups to, or receiving tour groups from Wuhan, China, due to concerns over the cornonavirus outbreak.
Passengers arriving from China are screened at Kolkata International Airport, India, on Jan. 22. Screening centers have been set up in the Indian cities of Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin apart from three airports at Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata to screen for the coronavirus.
People walk next to signage detailing hygienic practices to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at the Huashan Hospital in Shanghai, on Jan. 21.
Dozens of diggers work to build a new hospital in Wuhan, on Jan. 25. Due to the large number of infected people, the government decided to establish a temporary 1,000-bed hospital.
Ecuador also confirmed the first case, reported in the Andean country, its health minister said on Saturday.
The patient is an elderly female Ecuadorean residing in Spain, Catalina Andramuño, the health minister, told reporters. The patient arrived in Ecuador on February 14
on a direct flight from Madrid without showing any symptoms, but soon felt ill and went to a hospital where she was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
"The patient is currently in intensive care at one of the hospitals we had designated to attend to coronavirus," Mr Andramuño said, adding that the government was monitoring people who may have come into contact with the patient.
Deaths in Iran from coronavirus hit 43, the highest number outside China, and the number of infected people rose to 593, an Iranian health official said on Saturday.
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