Ag Agencies

ISLAMABAD/TEHRAN/ RIYADH/BEIJING: China has sent a group of experts to Iran to help combat the novel coronavirus in that country, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying has announced and said on Twitter that the Chinese experts are on their way to Iran.

They have now reached Iran. The coronavirus disease is enemy of all, Hua said, adding "We must fight together." Iran is the first country that has been aided by China for fighting with coronavirus.

According to the media report earlier Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi has made phone call to his Iranian counterpart Muhammad Jawad Zarif to discuss the situation. During his phone call with the Iranian foreign minister, Wang Yi said that China would continue to help within its capabilities to Iran in curbing the epidemic and treating the sick. China has already donated a batch of nucleic acid detection kits and medical supplies to Iran.

In the meanwhile, China is in constant contact with Pakistan through diplomatic channels and has also offered Pakistan any assistance in the matter. The sources told The News that Pakistan’s ambassador to China Ms. Naghmana Hashmi has been discussing with the Chinese authorities concerned regarding the coronavirus situation in Pakistan on regular basis.

Meanwhile, the number of people who have died from the novel coronavirus in Iran has risen to 54, reports quoting Iranian state TV said.

The number of people infected by the virus in the country stands at 978. The numbers emerge as international experts are questioning the scale of the coronavirus epidemic in Iran, where the official death toll is second only to China and risks creating a regional epicentre of contagion.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it had prepared 25 hospitals to handle any coronavirus cases that might be detected in the kingdom, part of precautionary measures which include closing its borders to foreign “Umrah” pilgrims.

Health ministry spokesman Mohammed Abdelali told a news conference that 2,200 hospital beds were dedicated for quarantine cases. The kingdom has not recorded any cases of the new coronavirus so far, he said, adding that Saudi Arabia’s trade activity had not been impacted and “is going as usual”.

Other Gulf Arab states have reported coronavirus cases, many linked to visits to Iran or involving people who have come into contact with people who had been there.

China reported a fresh spike in coronavirus infections on Sunday, as US President Donald Trump urged calm after the first death on American soil and Australia registered its first fatality.

The virus has spread to more than 60 countries around the globe, prompting the World Health Organisation to raise its risk assessment to its highest level.

Worldwide, nearly 3,000 people have been killed and more than 87,000 infected since the virus was first detected late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

China on Sunday reported 573 new infections, the highest figure in a week after a dip. All but three of them were in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital. Despite the increase, China said its response to the epidemic — which include temporarily closing factories and quarantining Hubei — “continues to be good” though risks still remained. “The next step is to focus on the risks brought by the resumption of work and the increasing number of foreign cases,” said Mi Feng, spokesman at the National Health Commission.

In recent days, the epidemic has spread also to sub-Saharan Africa, while Qatar, Ecuador, Luxembourg and Ireland all confirmed their first cases on Saturday. Armenia reported its first case on Sunday.

South Korea, which has the most infected people outside China, reported 586 new cases on Sunday, bringing its total to 3,736.

Australia reported the first death on its soil — a 78-year-old man who had been evacuated from the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.

Global attention turned to the United States on Saturday after the first fatality on American soil was confirmed. “We´ve taken the most aggressive actions to confront the coronavirus,” President Donald Trump said at a hastily arranged White House press conference. “Our country is prepared for any circumstance. There is no reason to panic at all.”

France cancelled gatherings of 5,000 people or more after a surge of new cases were confirmed there on Saturday. The country´s total stands at 100, with two deaths logged.

In two regions hard-hit by the virus, Oise and La Balme-de-Sillingy, some schools were closed, while authorities warned against non-essential travel and encouraged people to work from home if possible.

Italy, the hotspot of the outbreak in Europe, saw a jump in new cases on Saturday, with its number of infections exceeding 1,000 and the death toll rising by eight to 29.

In Japan, just 200 people took part in Sunday´s Tokyo marathon after it was reduced from a mass participation event of 38,000 runners to just elite athletes.

The sumo spring tournament which opens next Sunday will now be held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus.

Governments around the world have scrambled to prevent the spread of the virus, from large-scale lockdowns of millions of people in China to flight bans and travel restrictions from disease hotspots.