Coronavirus: China apologizes for comparing travel bans to treatment of Jews during Holocaust

A 44-year-old Chinese man hospitalized in the Philippines became the first known fatality outside China from the new virus that has killed more than 300 people and prompted a global health emergency, authorities said Sunday.

Also Sunday, China's ambassador to Israel apologized for comparing the decision by several nations to close their borders to Chinese citizens to turning away Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.

“There was no intention whatsoever to compare the dark days of the Holocaust with the current situation and the efforts taken by the Israeli government to protect its citizens," the embassy said in a statement. "We would like to apologize if someone understood our message the wrong way."

In Manila, the Philippine Health Department said a patient died Saturday after developing severe pneumonia due to viral and bacterial infections.

"In his last few days, the patient was stable and showed signs of improvement," Health Secretary Francisco Duque said. "However, the condition of the patient deteriorated within his last 24 hours."

China has reported 361 deaths and more than 17,000 cases of the latest coronavirus, all of which draw their name from the virus's elliptical, spiky shape. More than 180 cases have been reported in more than two dozen other countries, including 11 cases in the U.S.

Duque said the man and his companion, a 38-year-old Chinese woman, arrived in Manila on Jan. 21 via Hong Kong from Wuhan, the central China city that is the center of the outbreak. Four days later both were hospitalized and placed in isolation with a cough, fever and other symptoms.

The woman remained in isolation Sunday.

“I would like to emphasize that this is an imported case with no evidence of local transmission," Duque said. He said his agency was working with the Chinese Embassy to ensure the "dignified management of the remains" while also ensuring containment of the disease.

Coronavirus: Outbreak offers reasons for concern but not for panic

The World Health Organization declared a global health emergency Thursday, recommending an urgent effort to develop vaccines and diagnostics as well as a review of every nation's preparedness plans.

WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva that despite the emergency declaration, there is “no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade.”

On Friday, the Trump administration declared the coronavirus outbreak to be a public health emergency in the United States. U.S. citizens who have been in China's Hubei province and are returning to the U.S. will undergo health screenings and be monitored during mandatory quarantines of up to 14 days, officials said.

The U.S. also announced a suspension of entry into the United States of foreign nationals who pose a risk for the transmission of the virus. The U.S. and the Philippines government are among several nations issuing temporary bans on many travelers coming from China, Macao and Hong Kong – drawing the ire of Beijing.

“Just as the WHO recommended against travel restrictions, the U.S. rushed to go in the opposite way," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. "Certainly not a gesture of goodwill.”

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WHO also said that asymptomatic cases is likely not a "major driver" of the outbreak. People are far more likely to spread the virus through coughing and sneezing, WHO said in a statement.

New Zealand announced Sunday it is temporarily banning travelers from China to protect the South Pacific region from the virus. The 14-day ban applies to foreigners leaving China but not to New Zealand residents. New Zealand also raised its travel advice for China to “Do not travel,” the highest level.

Last week, the U.S. flew about 200 Americans out of Wuhan on a chartered plane and indicated that more flights could follow. The European Union sponsored a similar flight last week. This weekend, South Korea and India flew hundreds of their citizens out of Wuhan. Indonesia flew back 241 nationals from Wuhan on Sunday and quarantined them on the remote Natuna Islands for two weeks.

A Turkish military transport plane carrying 42 people arrived in Ankara from Wutan on Saturday night. The 32 Turkish, six Azerbaijani, three Georgian nationals and an Albanian will remain under observation for 14 days, together with 20 personnel who participated in the evacuation, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

Meanwhile, six officials in the city of Huanggang, neighboring the epicenter of Wuhan in Hubei province, have been fired over “poor performance” in handling the outbreak, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

It cited the mayor as saying the city’s “capabilities to treat the patients remained inadequate and there is a severe shortage in medical supplies such as protective suits and medical masks.”

Contributing: The Associated Press