Trump defends China's alleged cover-up of coronavirus victims

Authored by independent.co.uk and submitted by DaFunkJunkie

Donald Trump has launched an extraordinary defence of China’s alleged attempts to cover-up the extent of the spread of coronavirus.

The US president, who has claimed without evidence the virus will likely “go away” by April, said Beijing has handled the epidemic “very professionally”, despite accusations the country had attempted to suppress information about the crisis.

Asked by conservative commentator Geraldo Rivera if China was telling the truth about coronavirus, Mr Trump said: “Well you never know. I think they want to put the best face on it, so you know I mean if somebody, if you were running it you’d probably, you wouldn’t want to run out to the world and go crazy and start saying whatever it is because you don’t want to create a panic.”

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Some 1,525 people are now known to have been killed and more than 65,000 infected since the crisis erupted in January in the central city of Wuhan. Most victims have been in mainland China along with one each in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan and Spain.

The Chinese communist party has taken extraordinary measures in attempts to contain the spread of the virus, including the quarantining of around 60 million people. On Friday it threatened to punish anyone who returns to Beijing without entering quarantine for 14 days.

Shape Created with Sketch. Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Show all 122 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus 1/122 Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China cnsphoto via Reuters 2/122 Medical workers in protective suits move a patient at an isolated ward of a hospital in Caidian district following an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan China Daily via Reuters 3/122 A worker in protective clothing, including face mask and gloves, carries a bucket as he works inside of The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, southern England, after it closed for "urgent operational health and safety reasons", following reports a member of staff was infected with the strain of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty 4/122 A woman repatriated from Wuhan carries a child as she walks upon her arrival at the Van Don airport in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province AFP via Getty 5/122 Workers of the ecology and environment bureau collect samples from the sewage system of a hospital in Xinle, Hebei province China Daily via Reuters 6/122 A man in protective clothing cleaning the County Oak Medical Centre GP practice The British government warned the outbreak of novel coronavirus was a "serious and imminent threat" and reported four new cases that brought the total recorded in the country to eight. Two hospitals The Royal Free and Guys and St Thomas', have both been designated as "isolation" facilities, with both currently housing Britons who have returned from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak PA 7/122 Medical staff transfer patients to the newly completed Huoshenshan temporary field Hospital in Wuhan. The global coronavirus death toll rose again with Hong Kong announcing its first death from the outbreak on 4 February EPA 8/122 Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan PA 9/122 A crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess talks to a worker wearing protective gear standing near the vessel, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama Reuters 10/122 Doctors scan a patient's lungs at Huoshenshan temporary hospital built for patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Wuhan Xinhua News Agency/AP 11/122 People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal AFP via Getty 12/122 Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. People evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP 13/122 A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a market in Beijing Getty 14/122 Medical staff members hugging each other in an isolation ward at a hospital in Zouping in China's easter Shandong province AFP via Getty 15/122 A portrait of Dr Li Wenliang is left at Li's hospital in Wuhan. He is regarded a whistleblower on the outbreak and died of the coronavirus which triggered wide-spread mourning on Chinese media Getty 16/122 Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where people tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship arrived at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Reuters 17/122 Firefighters and personnel from the health ministry participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Reuters 18/122 Scientists are at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against the new Sars-like coronavirus AFP via Getty 19/122 Medical workers in protective suits attend to patients at the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the virus Reuters 20/122 A girl wears a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters 21/122 A man is transferred from the World Dream cruise ship to an ambulance at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong as health officials conduct inspections AFP via Getty 22/122 Workers from a disinfection service company enter Lotte Department Store in central Seoul, South Korea EPA 23/122 A man who arrived from Hubei province talks with police at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Reuters 24/122 A doctor holds a handheld digital thermometer near health officials preparing a health check for arriving passengers from China at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok EPA 25/122 A resident walks across an empty track in Wuhan Getty 26/122 A scientific staff member works in a secure laboratory, researching the coronavirus, at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar AFP via Getty 27/122 Medical staff members preparing equipment to meet passengers of a military plane, which evacuated citizens of Russia and ex-Soviet countries from China's Wuhan province Vsluh.ru via Reuters 28/122 Staff wearing protective suits as they prepare to disinfect a Vietnam Airlines plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi Vietnam Airlines/AFP/Getty 29/122 A South Korean person, who was evacuated from Wuhan, arrives at the National Medical Center after showing suspected symptoms of novel coronavirus, in Seoul EPA 30/122 Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess and was tested positive for coronavirus Reuters 31/122 A doctor being disinfected by his colleague at a quarantine zone in Wuhan AFP via Getty 32/122 Buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside Getty 33/122 Medical staff transfer patients in Wuhan EPA 34/122 Indonesian health officials conduct an exercise drill in transporting a patient requiring isolation at the Belawan port in Medan AFP via Getty 35/122 The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, designated by the African Union as one of the two reference centres in Africa for the detection of the new coronavirus that appeared in China, is hosting experts from 15 countries on the continent this weekend to prepare them to deal with the disease AFP via Getty 36/122 A government worker disinfects a co-worker after visiting a quarantined woman's home in Qingdao EPA 37/122 An aerial view of the deserted roads and bridges in Wuhan Getty 38/122 Medical workers hold a strike outside the Hospital Authority as they demand for Hong Kong to close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading Reuters 39/122 Reuters 40/122 A person has their tempriture checked in Qingdao, China EPA 41/122 Ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP 42/122 Malaysian nationals being directed from a bus by health officials in protective suits as they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, after being evacuated from Wuhan Malaysia's Ministry of Health/AFP 43/122 People hoping to buy face masks crowd outside a medical supply shop that was raided by police for allegedly hoarding and overpricing the masks, as public fear over China's Wuhan Coronavirus grow in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has been heavily criticized after failing to immediately implement travel restrictions from China, the source of a deadly coronavirus that has now killed hundreds and infected thousands more Getty 44/122 Residents wearing masks and raincoats volunteer to take temperature of passengers following the outbreak of a new coronavirus at a bus stop at Tin Shui Wai, a border town in Hong Kong Reuters 45/122 Italian citizens repatriated from Wuhan going though a health control zone after landing at the Mario De Bernardi military airport in Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, prior to be placed in quarantine Italian Defence Ministry/AFP 46/122 Workers arrange beds in a 2,000-bed mobile hospital, set up in an exhibition center, in Wuhan EPA 47/122 A doctor checks conditions of occupants in a hotel accommodating isolated people in Wuhan EPA 48/122 Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city of Wuhan, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital. The Chinese army deployed medical specialists to the epicentre of the spiralling viral outbreak that has killed and spread around the world AFP via Getty 49/122 A baby wearing a protective face mask is pushed by a woman as they arrive from Shenzhen to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station AFP via Getty Images 50/122 A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing Getty 51/122 A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern Getty 52/122 Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as it prepares for a return flight from Wuhan, China. Eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan are being flown back to the UK Tom Maddick / SWNS 53/122 A woman carries a baby wearing a protective mask as they exit the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station Getty 54/122 Camp beds at a Medical Assessment Center set up at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the eve of the arrival of German citizens evacuated from Wuhan AFP via Getty 55/122 Funeral parlour staff members in protective suits help a colleague with disinfection after they transferred a body at a hospital in Wuhan Reuters 56/122 Muslims wearing masks pray for the victims of coronavirus at a mosque in Ahmedabad, India Reuters 57/122 Medical officials waiting for people who wants to check the novel coronavirus at Myeongdong shopping district Getty 58/122 Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport Getty 59/122 A patient assisted by medical staff gets off an ambulance in Wuhan AFP/Getty 60/122 People line up to buy face masks from a medical supply company in Nanning, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Countries began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS Chinatopix via AP 61/122 Millions spent their normally festive Lunar New Year holiday under lockdown Getty 62/122 Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine in Bangkok. Thailand has detected eight Coronavirus cases so far AFP via Getty 63/122 An Indonesian health officer points at the screen of a thermal scanner for passengers China confirmed that the deadly Wuhan coronavirus virus can be transmitted between humans AFP via Getty 64/122 Hospital workers wearing protective eyewear and masks examine an Indonesian student who returned from China in quarantine at a hospital in Banda Aceh AFP via Getty Images 65/122 Ambulance staff dispose of an outfit at the hospital in Wuhan EPA 66/122 A person checks the temperature of a passenger to help stop the spread of a deadly virus as he arrives at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International airport in Palembang AFP via Getty 67/122 Nepali students, wearing face masks, attend a class at Matribhumi School in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu AFP via Getty Images 68/122 Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty 69/122 Two Buddhist monks wear face masks while walking along a street in Yangon AFP via Getty Images 70/122 Staff disinfecting a residential area in Ruichang, part of Jiujiang in China's central Jiangxi province AFP via Getty 71/122 Workers are seen at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020. - China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken thousands of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) HECTOR RETAMAL AFP via Getty 72/122 Vapor blurs the goggles of an ambulance driver while they work, in Wuhan EPA 73/122 Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Yangzhou AFP via Getty 74/122 Medical staff getting on an ambulance in Wuhan AFP via Getty 75/122 A vendor of traditional masks wears a facial mask at his shop in Thamel EPA 76/122 An airport official checks the temperature of a passenger upon his arrival at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar AFP via Getty 77/122 Medical staff members arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty 78/122 An ambulance driver talking with medical staff in Wuhan AFP via Getty 79/122 Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market The new coronavirus appears to have its origins in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a popular transport hub AFP via Getty 80/122 Workers produce protective suits at a factory in Nantong AFP via Getty 81/122 Passengers scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures after they landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty 82/122 A Thai royal guard wears a mask while on duty at the Grand Palace in Bangkok EPA 83/122 A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing AP 84/122 Medical staff members at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty 85/122 A shopper wearing goggles with a face mask and gloves uses a self checkout machine at a supermarket in Wuhan AP 86/122 Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA 87/122 Members of the Italian Red Cross putting on protective gear, getting ready to give health checks to passengers that landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty 88/122 A member of the Hong Kong government's Civil Aid Service gestures at the entrance to the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village which is being used as one of two quarantine centres for people who have been in close proximity with suspected cases of a SARS-type virus. Hong Kong will turn two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced AFP via Getty Images 89/122 Medical staff wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan STR/AFP via Getty 90/122 A Malaysia Health official checks passengers going through a thermal scanner upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA 91/122 Staff disinfecting Yingtan North Railway Station, China China banned trains and planes from leaving the major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed lives and spread to other countries AFP via Getty 92/122 A passenger walks past a quarantine control station at Narita airport, Japan EPA 93/122 Patients queue up to seek treatment in Wuhan Tongji Hospital Fever Clinic, in Wuhan EPA 94/122 Quarantine workers spray disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea EPA 95/122 A member of staff checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau, after it reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus AFP via Getty 96/122 Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital Little is known about the new disease which, if confirmed, would be only the seventh coronavirus known to science that can infect humans Getty 97/122 Members of the Three Gorges Medical Laboratory offering free masks to the public in Yichang, China AFP via Getty 98/122 Gabriel Leung, right, chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China AFP via Getty 99/122 Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conducting searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market AFP via Getty 100/122 A quarantine officer at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, uses an electronic thermometer to check the temperature of passengers arriving by plane from Wuhan The virus causes symptoms of viral pneumonia, and has already led to several deaths EPA 101/122 A screen shows cancelled flights at Tianhe airport in Wuhan AFP via Getty 102/122 Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA 103/122 Health officials hand out information about the current coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport AP 104/122 A store owner argues with security guards as he attempts to enter the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market AFP via Getty 105/122 Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Handan, China's northern Hebei province AFP via Getty 106/122 Medical staff and security personnel stop patients' family members from being too close to the Jinyintan hospital Reuters 107/122 maya-goodfellowAn airport staff member uses a temperature gun to check people leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP 108/122 A rescue worker walks past a notice about new coronavirus that has broken out in China Reuters 109/122 Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang AP 110/122 Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital AFP via Getty 111/122 A staff member checks body temperature of a child after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou AFP via Getty Images 112/122 A quarantine station measures passenger body temperatures at Narita Airport JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty 113/122 Passengers walk past a notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita airport EPA 114/122 Passengers walk past a poster alerting on coronavirus screening ahead upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA 115/122 An employee sprays disinfectant on a train, as a precaution against coronavirus, at Suseo Station in Seoul EPA 116/122 Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travellers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the previously unknown coronavirus, at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan Reuters 117/122 Pharmacist Liu Zhuzhen stands near a sign reading "face masks are sold out" at her pharmacy in Shanghai AP 118/122 The Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, EPA 119/122 A worker in a protective suit at the closed seafood market in Wuhan Reuters 120/122 Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of a high speed train station in Hong Kong AP 121/122 A notice for passengers from Wuhan Getty 122/122 A man wears a mask while riding on mobike past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market Getty 1/122 Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China cnsphoto via Reuters 2/122 Medical workers in protective suits move a patient at an isolated ward of a hospital in Caidian district following an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan China Daily via Reuters 3/122 A worker in protective clothing, including face mask and gloves, carries a bucket as he works inside of The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, southern England, after it closed for "urgent operational health and safety reasons", following reports a member of staff was infected with the strain of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty 4/122 A woman repatriated from Wuhan carries a child as she walks upon her arrival at the Van Don airport in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province AFP via Getty 5/122 Workers of the ecology and environment bureau collect samples from the sewage system of a hospital in Xinle, Hebei province China Daily via Reuters 6/122 A man in protective clothing cleaning the County Oak Medical Centre GP practice The British government warned the outbreak of novel coronavirus was a "serious and imminent threat" and reported four new cases that brought the total recorded in the country to eight. Two hospitals The Royal Free and Guys and St Thomas', have both been designated as "isolation" facilities, with both currently housing Britons who have returned from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak PA 7/122 Medical staff transfer patients to the newly completed Huoshenshan temporary field Hospital in Wuhan. The global coronavirus death toll rose again with Hong Kong announcing its first death from the outbreak on 4 February EPA 8/122 Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan PA 9/122 A crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess talks to a worker wearing protective gear standing near the vessel, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama Reuters 10/122 Doctors scan a patient's lungs at Huoshenshan temporary hospital built for patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Wuhan Xinhua News Agency/AP 11/122 People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal AFP via Getty 12/122 Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. People evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP 13/122 A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a market in Beijing Getty 14/122 Medical staff members hugging each other in an isolation ward at a hospital in Zouping in China's easter Shandong province AFP via Getty 15/122 A portrait of Dr Li Wenliang is left at Li's hospital in Wuhan. He is regarded a whistleblower on the outbreak and died of the coronavirus which triggered wide-spread mourning on Chinese media Getty 16/122 Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where people tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship arrived at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Reuters 17/122 Firefighters and personnel from the health ministry participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Reuters 18/122 Scientists are at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against the new Sars-like coronavirus AFP via Getty 19/122 Medical workers in protective suits attend to patients at the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the virus Reuters 20/122 A girl wears a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters 21/122 A man is transferred from the World Dream cruise ship to an ambulance at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong as health officials conduct inspections AFP via Getty 22/122 Workers from a disinfection service company enter Lotte Department Store in central Seoul, South Korea EPA 23/122 A man who arrived from Hubei province talks with police at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Reuters 24/122 A doctor holds a handheld digital thermometer near health officials preparing a health check for arriving passengers from China at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok EPA 25/122 A resident walks across an empty track in Wuhan Getty 26/122 A scientific staff member works in a secure laboratory, researching the coronavirus, at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar AFP via Getty 27/122 Medical staff members preparing equipment to meet passengers of a military plane, which evacuated citizens of Russia and ex-Soviet countries from China's Wuhan province Vsluh.ru via Reuters 28/122 Staff wearing protective suits as they prepare to disinfect a Vietnam Airlines plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi Vietnam Airlines/AFP/Getty 29/122 A South Korean person, who was evacuated from Wuhan, arrives at the National Medical Center after showing suspected symptoms of novel coronavirus, in Seoul EPA 30/122 Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess and was tested positive for coronavirus Reuters 31/122 A doctor being disinfected by his colleague at a quarantine zone in Wuhan AFP via Getty 32/122 Buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside Getty 33/122 Medical staff transfer patients in Wuhan EPA 34/122 Indonesian health officials conduct an exercise drill in transporting a patient requiring isolation at the Belawan port in Medan AFP via Getty 35/122 The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, designated by the African Union as one of the two reference centres in Africa for the detection of the new coronavirus that appeared in China, is hosting experts from 15 countries on the continent this weekend to prepare them to deal with the disease AFP via Getty 36/122 A government worker disinfects a co-worker after visiting a quarantined woman's home in Qingdao EPA 37/122 An aerial view of the deserted roads and bridges in Wuhan Getty 38/122 Medical workers hold a strike outside the Hospital Authority as they demand for Hong Kong to close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading Reuters 39/122 Reuters 40/122 A person has their tempriture checked in Qingdao, China EPA 41/122 Ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP 42/122 Malaysian nationals being directed from a bus by health officials in protective suits as they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, after being evacuated from Wuhan Malaysia's Ministry of Health/AFP 43/122 People hoping to buy face masks crowd outside a medical supply shop that was raided by police for allegedly hoarding and overpricing the masks, as public fear over China's Wuhan Coronavirus grow in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has been heavily criticized after failing to immediately implement travel restrictions from China, the source of a deadly coronavirus that has now killed hundreds and infected thousands more Getty 44/122 Residents wearing masks and raincoats volunteer to take temperature of passengers following the outbreak of a new coronavirus at a bus stop at Tin Shui Wai, a border town in Hong Kong Reuters 45/122 Italian citizens repatriated from Wuhan going though a health control zone after landing at the Mario De Bernardi military airport in Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, prior to be placed in quarantine Italian Defence Ministry/AFP 46/122 Workers arrange beds in a 2,000-bed mobile hospital, set up in an exhibition center, in Wuhan EPA 47/122 A doctor checks conditions of occupants in a hotel accommodating isolated people in Wuhan EPA 48/122 Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city of Wuhan, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital. The Chinese army deployed medical specialists to the epicentre of the spiralling viral outbreak that has killed and spread around the world AFP via Getty 49/122 A baby wearing a protective face mask is pushed by a woman as they arrive from Shenzhen to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station AFP via Getty Images 50/122 A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing Getty 51/122 A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern Getty 52/122 Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as it prepares for a return flight from Wuhan, China. Eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan are being flown back to the UK Tom Maddick / SWNS 53/122 A woman carries a baby wearing a protective mask as they exit the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station Getty 54/122 Camp beds at a Medical Assessment Center set up at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the eve of the arrival of German citizens evacuated from Wuhan AFP via Getty 55/122 Funeral parlour staff members in protective suits help a colleague with disinfection after they transferred a body at a hospital in Wuhan Reuters 56/122 Muslims wearing masks pray for the victims of coronavirus at a mosque in Ahmedabad, India Reuters 57/122 Medical officials waiting for people who wants to check the novel coronavirus at Myeongdong shopping district Getty 58/122 Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport Getty 59/122 A patient assisted by medical staff gets off an ambulance in Wuhan AFP/Getty 60/122 People line up to buy face masks from a medical supply company in Nanning, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Countries began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS Chinatopix via AP 61/122 Millions spent their normally festive Lunar New Year holiday under lockdown Getty 62/122 Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine in Bangkok. Thailand has detected eight Coronavirus cases so far AFP via Getty 63/122 An Indonesian health officer points at the screen of a thermal scanner for passengers China confirmed that the deadly Wuhan coronavirus virus can be transmitted between humans AFP via Getty 64/122 Hospital workers wearing protective eyewear and masks examine an Indonesian student who returned from China in quarantine at a hospital in Banda Aceh AFP via Getty Images 65/122 Ambulance staff dispose of an outfit at the hospital in Wuhan EPA 66/122 A person checks the temperature of a passenger to help stop the spread of a deadly virus as he arrives at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International airport in Palembang AFP via Getty 67/122 Nepali students, wearing face masks, attend a class at Matribhumi School in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu AFP via Getty Images 68/122 Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty 69/122 Two Buddhist monks wear face masks while walking along a street in Yangon AFP via Getty Images 70/122 Staff disinfecting a residential area in Ruichang, part of Jiujiang in China's central Jiangxi province AFP via Getty 71/122 Workers are seen at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020. - China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken thousands of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) HECTOR RETAMAL AFP via Getty 72/122 Vapor blurs the goggles of an ambulance driver while they work, in Wuhan EPA 73/122 Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Yangzhou AFP via Getty 74/122 Medical staff getting on an ambulance in Wuhan AFP via Getty 75/122 A vendor of traditional masks wears a facial mask at his shop in Thamel EPA 76/122 An airport official checks the temperature of a passenger upon his arrival at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar AFP via Getty 77/122 Medical staff members arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty 78/122 An ambulance driver talking with medical staff in Wuhan AFP via Getty 79/122 Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market The new coronavirus appears to have its origins in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a popular transport hub AFP via Getty 80/122 Workers produce protective suits at a factory in Nantong AFP via Getty 81/122 Passengers scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures after they landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty 82/122 A Thai royal guard wears a mask while on duty at the Grand Palace in Bangkok EPA 83/122 A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing AP 84/122 Medical staff members at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty 85/122 A shopper wearing goggles with a face mask and gloves uses a self checkout machine at a supermarket in Wuhan AP 86/122 Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA 87/122 Members of the Italian Red Cross putting on protective gear, getting ready to give health checks to passengers that landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty 88/122 A member of the Hong Kong government's Civil Aid Service gestures at the entrance to the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village which is being used as one of two quarantine centres for people who have been in close proximity with suspected cases of a SARS-type virus. Hong Kong will turn two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced AFP via Getty Images 89/122 Medical staff wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan STR/AFP via Getty 90/122 A Malaysia Health official checks passengers going through a thermal scanner upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA 91/122 Staff disinfecting Yingtan North Railway Station, China China banned trains and planes from leaving the major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed lives and spread to other countries AFP via Getty 92/122 A passenger walks past a quarantine control station at Narita airport, Japan EPA 93/122 Patients queue up to seek treatment in Wuhan Tongji Hospital Fever Clinic, in Wuhan EPA 94/122 Quarantine workers spray disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea EPA 95/122 A member of staff checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau, after it reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus AFP via Getty 96/122 Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital Little is known about the new disease which, if confirmed, would be only the seventh coronavirus known to science that can infect humans Getty 97/122 Members of the Three Gorges Medical Laboratory offering free masks to the public in Yichang, China AFP via Getty 98/122 Gabriel Leung, right, chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China AFP via Getty 99/122 Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conducting searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market AFP via Getty 100/122 A quarantine officer at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, uses an electronic thermometer to check the temperature of passengers arriving by plane from Wuhan The virus causes symptoms of viral pneumonia, and has already led to several deaths EPA 101/122 A screen shows cancelled flights at Tianhe airport in Wuhan AFP via Getty 102/122 Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA 103/122 Health officials hand out information about the current coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport AP 104/122 A store owner argues with security guards as he attempts to enter the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market AFP via Getty 105/122 Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Handan, China's northern Hebei province AFP via Getty 106/122 Medical staff and security personnel stop patients' family members from being too close to the Jinyintan hospital Reuters 107/122 maya-goodfellowAn airport staff member uses a temperature gun to check people leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP 108/122 A rescue worker walks past a notice about new coronavirus that has broken out in China Reuters 109/122 Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang AP 110/122 Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital AFP via Getty 111/122 A staff member checks body temperature of a child after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou AFP via Getty Images 112/122 A quarantine station measures passenger body temperatures at Narita Airport JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty 113/122 Passengers walk past a notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita airport EPA 114/122 Passengers walk past a poster alerting on coronavirus screening ahead upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA 115/122 An employee sprays disinfectant on a train, as a precaution against coronavirus, at Suseo Station in Seoul EPA 116/122 Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travellers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the previously unknown coronavirus, at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan Reuters 117/122 Pharmacist Liu Zhuzhen stands near a sign reading "face masks are sold out" at her pharmacy in Shanghai AP 118/122 The Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, EPA 119/122 A worker in a protective suit at the closed seafood market in Wuhan Reuters 120/122 Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of a high speed train station in Hong Kong AP 121/122 A notice for passengers from Wuhan Getty 122/122 A man wears a mask while riding on mobike past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market Getty

At the beginning of the crisis, a doctor, who has since died of the virus, was reprimanded by Chinese authorities for warning colleagues about the outbreak in Wuhan.

“I think they’ve handled it professionally and I think they’re extremely capable and I think President Xi is extremely capable and I hope that it’s going to be resolved,” Mr Trump told Mr Rivera on Thursday.

Outside mainland China there have been nearly 450 cases of coronavirus in two dozen countries and territories, including 218 on board a cruise liner quarantined in a Japanese port, and four deaths, in Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines and France.

Chinese authorities have claimed that the spread of the virus is stabilising and on Friday night a senior official accused other countries of “overreacting”.

“The epidemic overall is under control,” said Wang Yi, a state councillor who also serves as China’s foreign minister. “This epidemic is truly sudden. It has brought a challenge to China and the world.”

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Mr Yi urged the US and other nations not to take unnecessary virus-response measures that could hamper trade, travel and tourism.

However the official statistics on the number of cases have provided no indication that the outbreak is peaking, according to Adam Kamradt-Scott, an infectious diseases expert at the Centre for International Security Studies at the University of Sydney.

But Mr Trump appeared to reflect Mr Yi's confidence the disease would soon be under control, when he said the virus would likely disappear by April.

“Again the April date is very important, but you know this is a big thing, the April date is very very important, because it that’s the case, if heat does in fact kill, that’s when it starts getting hot and this virus reacts very poorly to heat and dies, so we’ll see what happens.”

That claim has since been denied by his own health agency.

Sygald on February 15th, 2020 at 20:51 UTC »

Honestly, it's one of those times which feels like he's trying to say something actually acceptable (or at least understandable) only to bungle it up because he doesn't understand what he's saying, i.e. you don't want people to panic because it might hurt the economy and what's worse than a plague is a plague accompanied by a bad recession.

He could've even phrased it as "while I do not agree with the Chinese government's methodology, I share their view that we should do what's possible to keep panic from setting in. I'm sure they're doing everything in their power over there and we have the CDC back here at home working tirelessly to combat this disease and restore normalcy, for half a billion Chinese, and for the entirety of humankind."

This really feels like stupid being stupid.

slakmehl on February 15th, 2020 at 20:13 UTC »

As bad as it sounds:

Asked by conservative commentator Geraldo Rivera if China was telling the truth about coronavirus, Mr Trump said: “Well you never know. I think they want to put the best face on it, so you know I mean if somebody, if you were running it you’d probably, you wouldn’t want to run out to the world and go crazy and start saying whatever it is because you don’t want to create a panic.” 

"Whatever it is". Aka "the truth".

I will never get used to the United States President casually remarking not just that totalitarian regimes must be tolerated, but represent how things should be.

Edard_Flanders on February 15th, 2020 at 19:13 UTC »

Well he's right in that it will go away. It is just a matter of how far off and after how much damage. Even the plague went away after making several rounds over a few centuries.