Corona.. the latest developments in the virus all over the world

Health authorities and specialists in different countries of the world are still following up on taking all necessary precautions to counter the new version of the coronavirus, which originated from China and has spread to more than 18 countries.

According to Reuters, coronavirus has spread to the hour among more than 9,800 people worldwide, surpassing the total number of people infected with SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus (SARS) that emerged in 2002-2003. 

However, some experts believe that coronavirus is not as dangerous as the SARS virus, which has killed about 800 people, or the Mers virus, which has killed more than 700 people since 2012.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared a global emergency, while China reported friday that the number of deaths from (Mers-CoV) infection swelled to 213 by the end of Thursday after 1,982 new cases were confirmed.

There are currently 131 confirmed cases in 23 countries and regions outside China, including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and the United States.

The following are the most important developments regarding the coronavirus on Friday at the global level:

- The Russian government announced the first two confirmed cases of the emerging coronavirus.

- The Italian government declares a state of emergency with two injuries confirmed in the capital, Rome, and has announced the suspension of all flights to and from China after the results of the tests showed that two Chinese tourists were infected with the virus while they were spending their vacation in the country.

- Britain announced that two cases of the virus had been recorded. The UK's chief physician, Chris Witte, said that the results of the "tests" conducted for two patients belonging to the same family were positive for the infection of the new coronavirus.

- In Saudi Arabia, the National Center for Disease Prevention advised against traveling to China due to the coronavirus, and the Sultanate of Oman took the same measure advising its citizens not to travel to China to the absolute necessity with the introduction of the necessary preventive measures.

- In Iran, Iranian Health Minister Saeed Nemki urged the government to prevent travelers from China from entering the country to ward off the spread of the coronavirus, adding that his request includes those arriving by sea, land or air.

- In South Korea, hundreds of returning citizens were greeted by plane from China today, Friday, upon their arrival at two quarantine centers.

The 368 Koreans were transferred to two facilities in the cities of Asan and Jincheon, 80 km south of the capital, Seoul, where they will be isolated, while the competent authorities reported five new confirmed cases of the virus today, bringing the total number of infected to 11, including two who returned from Wuhan through a port Qingdao, east China, last week.

- In the United States, the Foreign Ministry raised the warning level for travel to China to the same level as Iraq and Afghanistan, and said on its website, "Do not travel to China because of the new coronavirus that appeared in Wuhan."

- In Japan, Japan Airlines (Japan Airlines), the country's second largest airline, has registered 25 percent of flight bookings to China canceled in the past 10 days, an executive said on Friday.

- Turkish Airlines, Kenya Airways and Pakistani airlines announced the suspension of all flights to China, according to Reuters.