by Summary for 7th March:
- Twenty-one cases of coronavirus are confirmed on a cruise ship that is being held off California's coast
- The death toll in Italy rises to 197 after the largest daily increase in fatalities
- The World Health Organization says nearly 100,000 people worldwide have contracted the coronavirus
- Reports say 15 Americans have been quarantined in Bethlehem over virus fears
- Official data on Saturday showed a significant hit to Chinese exports after the deadly outbreak
9:03
More cases confirmed on cruise ship
In California, 21 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed on the Grand Princess cruise ship that is being held off the coast near San Francisco.
The cruise liner is a sister ship of the Diamond Princess, which was the scene of a major coronavirus outbreak while moored in Japan. US Vice President Mike Pence said the Grand Princess would be sent to a non-commercial dock over the weekend where all its 3,533 passengers and crew would be tested.
9:05
Italy sees jump in coronavirus deaths
Italy has reported its biggest daily jump in coronavirus deaths - 49, taking the total to 197.
More than 4,600 cases have been reported in total and the government has ordered the closure of all schools for 10 days as it battles to contain the outbreak. All professional sport, including Serie A football matches, will be played behind closed doors for a month.
The country, which has one of the world's oldest populations, has now the most officially reported deaths from the virus outside China.
9:09
First cases reported in more countries
Cases of the virus, which causes the respiratory disease Covid-19, have now been reported in more than 90 countries, the World Health Organization says.
The Vatican, Serbia, Slovakia, Peru, Cameroon and Togo have all reported their first cases. Cameroon is the first central African country to register a case.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands reported its first death on Friday.
9:16
Philippines to declare health emergency
The Philippines - a country of more than 100 million people - has only reported six infections but the country has now had its first case of local transmission.
This has raised fears that the disease could spread quickly through communities and prompted the health secretary to recommend that a state of public health emergency be declared.
President Rodrigo Duterte reportedly approved this on Saturday. The government has warned that communities could be locked down if cases increase rapidly.
Although the Philippines has had few confirmed cases, it's worth remembering that the first confirmed fatality outside China was there - involving a man who had travelled from Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.
And like everywhere in Asia, people have been concerned about the virus for several weeks. In February, we reported on a mass wedding ceremony where face masks and temperature checks were a key part of proceedings.
9:23
The trapped cancer patient - what happened next?
About a month ago, a story came to light that moved people all over the world.
Pictures of Lu Huejin crying as she tried to get her 26-year-old daughter out of locked-down Hubei province for leukaemia treatment in neighbouring Jiangxi went viral.
"She needs to have her treatment. But they won't let us through," Ms Lu told two reporters who found her on a bridge of the Yangtze river.
"All I want to do is save her life."
The BBC has tracked down the family to find out what happened next.
Read the story here.
9:36
UK reports second fatality
Here's the latest from the UK today.
The country has reported its second death from the virus
Milton Keynes University Hospital said the man, who had underlying health conditions, died shortly after testing positive for the virus. The hospital has isolated any patients or staff who were in contact with him.
The UK's first death - a woman in her 70s - was confirmed on Thursday. A British man also died from the virus last month in Japan after being infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The number of confirmed cases in the UK now stands at 164.
Texas festival SXSW cancelled
The South by Southwest festival, better known as SXSW, has become the latest casualty of the outbreak in the US.
The music, tech and film festival - one of the most famous in the US - had been due to take place in Austin, Texas, from 13-22 March. Amazon, Netflix and Apple had already pulled out.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler declared "a local disaster" in response to the coronavirus and said he had "issued an order that effectively cancels South by Southwest for this year".
How is India faring?
It's the second most populous nation in the world and its government said it was among the first nations to prepare for an outbreak.
But how is India actually doing? Can it stave off a big outbreak?
There are only a few dozen reported coronavirus cases at the moment but the BBC's Soutik Biswas says the real extent of the spread of the infection may be far from clear...
Read his latest blog here
10:12
South Korea seals off flats
In South Korea, two blocks of flats have been placed under quarantine after dozens of occupants were found to be infected with the coronavirus.
The buildings are in the city of Daegu and those infected are linked to a religious sect at the centre of South Korea's outbreak, Yonhap news agency reported
Meanwhile, another 274 more infections have been confirmed nationwide, taking the total to just over 7,000. Most of the new cases are in Daegu.
Health officials say 44 patients have died across the country and 36 are in critical condition.
10:20
How has sport been affected?
As the virus spreads around the world, authorities have been taking action by postponing major sporting events which would otherwise bring tens of thousands of people together.
Here is a brief look at how the virus is affecting the sporting world:
- Scotland's women's Six Nations match with France which was scheduled for later on Saturday has been postponed after an unnamed home player contracted coronavirus
- In Denmark, Superliga side Brondby have quarantined 13 people at the club after former Denmark international Thomas Kahlenberg was diagnosed with coronavirus
- Football fixtures have been postponed in Switzerland , China , Japan, South Korea and Italy's Serie A
French football is the latest to be hit, with runaway leaders Paris St-Germain's Ligue 1 game at Strasbourg being delayed over fears of spreading the virus
- Meanwhile, UEFA has already announced that two European football fixtures, involving sides from Italy and Spain, will be played behind closed doors next week. They are: Atalanta versus Valencia in the Champions League; and Inter Milan versus Getafe, in the Europa League - Formula One’s Chinese Grand Prix, which was scheduled to take place in Shanghai on 19 April, has been postponed
- Basketball star LeBron James said he would not play if NBA chiefs decided games should be played behind closed door. The US league has reportedly told teams to look into strategies on how to play without fans
- The 2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, has been postponed until next year.
- In the UK, ministers are set to meet with sports governing bodies and broadcasters on Monday to discuss the staging of events behind closed doors if the outbreak worsens
- And doubts have been raised over the future of this year's Olympics in Tokyo. Our sports editor Dan Roan has taken a look at the situation - read more here.
10:36
Iran reports death of second MP
Now to another virus hotspot - Iran - where a second MP has reportedly died from Covid-19.
Fatemeh Rahbar, 55, was a conservative who had recently been elected to parliament from the capital, Tehran, state news agency Irna said.
Last month, Iran's deputy minister, Iraj Harirchi, and another MP both tested positive for the virus. The MP later died. A high-ranking adviser to the country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has also died from the disease.
Iran has reported 124 deaths and 4,747 infections, although the figures are believed to be underestimated. Schools have been closed across the country, and cultural and sporting events cancelled, as the government struggles to contain the outbreak.
Toilet paper wipe-out fears escalate
It's inspired such hashtags as #ToiletPaperEmergency and #ToiletPaperApocalypse - and the surge in demand for loo roll does not appear to be slowing down.
One Australian newspaper even printed a jovial eight-page "toilet paper" pullout section this week, for those who may have run out.
And the frenzy appears to have spread, with barren shelves - where the sought-after paper once sat - appearing around the world including the US and the UK.
For some, though, the situation has escalated.
One man was reportedly tasered by police in the country this week, after getting into an argument with staff over the product.
And a video widely shared online appears to show three women pulling each other's hair in a struggle over a particularly large pack in Sydney.
Psychologists and consumer experts have linked the surge in demand on herd mentality, FOMO syndrome - or Fear Of Missing Out - and the convenience of modern lifestyles.
11:09
Iran reports more confirmed cases and deaths
Iran has just announced that the number of coronavirus cases has risen to 5,823 and that the number of deaths now stands at 145 - an increase of 21.
However, it is widely believed the official figures are heavily underestimated.
Earlier, state media said a second MP had died from Covid-19.
11:21
Cruise ship passengers face anxious wait
Some more now from the Grand Princess cruise ship which is being held off the coast of California.
There are 21 confirmed coronavirus cases on board and 19 of them are crew members, officials say.
Passenger Jackie Bissell, one of the 140 Britons on board, told the BBC that they were told on Thursday there might be a problem. They are now confined to their cabins.
"You can't go out, you can just go out in the hall if someone taps the door. They put the food outside, drop your menus inside and that's about it," she said.
Another passenger is Kari Kolstoe, from North Dakota, who has stage-four cancer. She says she is worried that the time in quarantine will delay her next round of chemotherapy, which is due next week. "It's very unsettling," she said in a phone interview.
The ship is due to be directed to a non-commercial port over the weekend.
11:37
UK 'on the edge' of sustained transmission
The UK is "teetering on the edge" of sustained transmission of coronavirus, one of the country's top medical experts has warned.
Jennie Harries, England's deputy chief medical officer, told the BBC that the country remained in the "containment" phase but that a decision about the next phase - delaying the spread of the virus - would depend on how fast the number of cases rose.
She added that measures to slow the virus needed to be "proportionate" and urged consumers not to panic buy.
11:50
Funeral named as major source of outbreak in Spain
A funeral held in northern Spain about two weeks ago has been named as the biggest source of coronavirus in the country, local media have reported.
More than 60 people at the ceremony in the Basque capital of Vitoria-Gasteiz, and their close contacts have been infected, according to the National Centre for Microbiology (CNM).
Meanwhile, the first case of the virus has also been reported inside a Spanish prison.
Officials have decided to put parts of the prison in Aranjuez - about 12 miles (20km) south of Madrid - into lockdown after a staff member fell ill, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
In total, there have been 402 cases recorded in the country. Eight people have died.
Spanish authorities reported the country's first case at the end of January, with the first death on 13 February.
Mr Zingaretti, 54, made the announcement in a video post on Facebook.
He said: "The doctors have told me that I am positive for Covid-19. I am fine but I will have to stay home for the next few days. From here I will continue to do the work there is to do. Courage to everyone and see you soon!"
It comes less than 24 hours after doctors and nurses on the island threatened to strike if a cruise ship were allowed to dock in the capital Valletta. A previous passenger on the MSC Opera (pic below) had tested positive for the virus.
Elsewhere in Europe on Saturday:
What’s the latest in the US?
- The FBI says that one of its employees in San Francisco has tested positive for Covid-19. In a statement it said other workers at the small satellite office had been sent home and all known contacts of the infected person were being notified
- Florida reported two deaths on Friday - the first on the US east coast. They take the US death toll to 16 with more than 200 confirmed cases. The other fatalities have been in the west-coast states of California and Washington.
- The White House is facing continued criticism of its response to the crisis, in particular the delays in testing for the virus. President Donald Trump has signed an $8.3bn (£6.4bn) emergency bill but the government has admitted that it does not have enough testing kits. Irwin Redlener, director of Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness, described the response as "gross amateur-hour incompetence". "We've done maybe 1,000 or more tests when South Korea has done 75,000-100,000 - this whole thing is out of control," he told MSNBC
- A US Navy sailor has tested positive for the virus in Naples, Italy, Fox News reports
- Twenty-one cases of coronavirus are confirmed on a cruise ship that is being held off California's coast
- The death toll in Italy rises to 197 after the largest daily increase in fatalities
- The World Health Organization says nearly 100,000 people worldwide have contracted the coronavirus
- Reports say 15 Americans have been quarantined in Bethlehem over virus fears
- Official data on Saturday showed a significant hit to Chinese exports after the deadly outbreak
9:03
More cases confirmed on cruise ship
In California, 21 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed on the Grand Princess cruise ship that is being held off the coast near San Francisco.
The cruise liner is a sister ship of the Diamond Princess, which was the scene of a major coronavirus outbreak while moored in Japan. US Vice President Mike Pence said the Grand Princess would be sent to a non-commercial dock over the weekend where all its 3,533 passengers and crew would be tested.
9:05
Italy sees jump in coronavirus deaths
Italy has reported its biggest daily jump in coronavirus deaths - 49, taking the total to 197.
More than 4,600 cases have been reported in total and the government has ordered the closure of all schools for 10 days as it battles to contain the outbreak. All professional sport, including Serie A football matches, will be played behind closed doors for a month.
The country, which has one of the world's oldest populations, has now the most officially reported deaths from the virus outside China.
9:09
First cases reported in more countries
Cases of the virus, which causes the respiratory disease Covid-19, have now been reported in more than 90 countries, the World Health Organization says.
The Vatican, Serbia, Slovakia, Peru, Cameroon and Togo have all reported their first cases. Cameroon is the first central African country to register a case.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands reported its first death on Friday.
9:16
Philippines to declare health emergency
The Philippines - a country of more than 100 million people - has only reported six infections but the country has now had its first case of local transmission.
This has raised fears that the disease could spread quickly through communities and prompted the health secretary to recommend that a state of public health emergency be declared.
President Rodrigo Duterte reportedly approved this on Saturday. The government has warned that communities could be locked down if cases increase rapidly.
Although the Philippines has had few confirmed cases, it's worth remembering that the first confirmed fatality outside China was there - involving a man who had travelled from Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.
And like everywhere in Asia, people have been concerned about the virus for several weeks. In February, we reported on a mass wedding ceremony where face masks and temperature checks were a key part of proceedings.
9:23
The trapped cancer patient - what happened next?
About a month ago, a story came to light that moved people all over the world.
Pictures of Lu Huejin crying as she tried to get her 26-year-old daughter out of locked-down Hubei province for leukaemia treatment in neighbouring Jiangxi went viral.
"She needs to have her treatment. But they won't let us through," Ms Lu told two reporters who found her on a bridge of the Yangtze river.
"All I want to do is save her life."
The BBC has tracked down the family to find out what happened next.
Read the story here.
9:36
UK reports second fatality
Here's the latest from the UK today.
The country has reported its second death from the virus
Milton Keynes University Hospital said the man, who had underlying health conditions, died shortly after testing positive for the virus. The hospital has isolated any patients or staff who were in contact with him.
The UK's first death - a woman in her 70s - was confirmed on Thursday. A British man also died from the virus last month in Japan after being infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The number of confirmed cases in the UK now stands at 164.
Texas festival SXSW cancelled
The South by Southwest festival, better known as SXSW, has become the latest casualty of the outbreak in the US.
The music, tech and film festival - one of the most famous in the US - had been due to take place in Austin, Texas, from 13-22 March. Amazon, Netflix and Apple had already pulled out.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler declared "a local disaster" in response to the coronavirus and said he had "issued an order that effectively cancels South by Southwest for this year".
How is India faring?
It's the second most populous nation in the world and its government said it was among the first nations to prepare for an outbreak.
But how is India actually doing? Can it stave off a big outbreak?
There are only a few dozen reported coronavirus cases at the moment but the BBC's Soutik Biswas says the real extent of the spread of the infection may be far from clear...
Read his latest blog here
10:12
South Korea seals off flats
In South Korea, two blocks of flats have been placed under quarantine after dozens of occupants were found to be infected with the coronavirus.
The buildings are in the city of Daegu and those infected are linked to a religious sect at the centre of South Korea's outbreak, Yonhap news agency reported
Meanwhile, another 274 more infections have been confirmed nationwide, taking the total to just over 7,000. Most of the new cases are in Daegu.
Health officials say 44 patients have died across the country and 36 are in critical condition.
10:20
How has sport been affected?
As the virus spreads around the world, authorities have been taking action by postponing major sporting events which would otherwise bring tens of thousands of people together.
Here is a brief look at how the virus is affecting the sporting world:
- Scotland's women's Six Nations match with France which was scheduled for later on Saturday has been postponed after an unnamed home player contracted coronavirus
- In Denmark, Superliga side Brondby have quarantined 13 people at the club after former Denmark international Thomas Kahlenberg was diagnosed with coronavirus
- Football fixtures have been postponed in Switzerland , China , Japan, South Korea and Italy's Serie A
French football is the latest to be hit, with runaway leaders Paris St-Germain's Ligue 1 game at Strasbourg being delayed over fears of spreading the virus
- Meanwhile, UEFA has already announced that two European football fixtures, involving sides from Italy and Spain, will be played behind closed doors next week. They are: Atalanta versus Valencia in the Champions League; and Inter Milan versus Getafe, in the Europa League - Formula One’s Chinese Grand Prix, which was scheduled to take place in Shanghai on 19 April, has been postponed
- Basketball star LeBron James said he would not play if NBA chiefs decided games should be played behind closed door. The US league has reportedly told teams to look into strategies on how to play without fans
- The 2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, has been postponed until next year.
- In the UK, ministers are set to meet with sports governing bodies and broadcasters on Monday to discuss the staging of events behind closed doors if the outbreak worsens
- And doubts have been raised over the future of this year's Olympics in Tokyo. Our sports editor Dan Roan has taken a look at the situation - read more here.
10:36
Iran reports death of second MP
Now to another virus hotspot - Iran - where a second MP has reportedly died from Covid-19.
Fatemeh Rahbar, 55, was a conservative who had recently been elected to parliament from the capital, Tehran, state news agency Irna said.
Last month, Iran's deputy minister, Iraj Harirchi, and another MP both tested positive for the virus. The MP later died. A high-ranking adviser to the country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has also died from the disease.
Iran has reported 124 deaths and 4,747 infections, although the figures are believed to be underestimated. Schools have been closed across the country, and cultural and sporting events cancelled, as the government struggles to contain the outbreak.
Toilet paper wipe-out fears escalate
It's inspired such hashtags as #ToiletPaperEmergency and #ToiletPaperApocalypse - and the surge in demand for loo roll does not appear to be slowing down.
One Australian newspaper even printed a jovial eight-page "toilet paper" pullout section this week, for those who may have run out.
And the frenzy appears to have spread, with barren shelves - where the sought-after paper once sat - appearing around the world including the US and the UK.
For some, though, the situation has escalated.
One man was reportedly tasered by police in the country this week, after getting into an argument with staff over the product.
And a video widely shared online appears to show three women pulling each other's hair in a struggle over a particularly large pack in Sydney.
Psychologists and consumer experts have linked the surge in demand on herd mentality, FOMO syndrome - or Fear Of Missing Out - and the convenience of modern lifestyles.
11:09
Iran reports more confirmed cases and deaths
Iran has just announced that the number of coronavirus cases has risen to 5,823 and that the number of deaths now stands at 145 - an increase of 21.
However, it is widely believed the official figures are heavily underestimated.
Earlier, state media said a second MP had died from Covid-19.
11:21
Cruise ship passengers face anxious wait
Some more now from the Grand Princess cruise ship which is being held off the coast of California.
There are 21 confirmed coronavirus cases on board and 19 of them are crew members, officials say.
Passenger Jackie Bissell, one of the 140 Britons on board, told the BBC that they were told on Thursday there might be a problem. They are now confined to their cabins.
"You can't go out, you can just go out in the hall if someone taps the door. They put the food outside, drop your menus inside and that's about it," she said.
Another passenger is Kari Kolstoe, from North Dakota, who has stage-four cancer. She says she is worried that the time in quarantine will delay her next round of chemotherapy, which is due next week. "It's very unsettling," she said in a phone interview.
The ship is due to be directed to a non-commercial port over the weekend.
11:37
UK 'on the edge' of sustained transmission
The UK is "teetering on the edge" of sustained transmission of coronavirus, one of the country's top medical experts has warned.
Jennie Harries, England's deputy chief medical officer, told the BBC that the country remained in the "containment" phase but that a decision about the next phase - delaying the spread of the virus - would depend on how fast the number of cases rose.
She added that measures to slow the virus needed to be "proportionate" and urged consumers not to panic buy.
11:50
Funeral named as major source of outbreak in Spain
A funeral held in northern Spain about two weeks ago has been named as the biggest source of coronavirus in the country, local media have reported.
More than 60 people at the ceremony in the Basque capital of Vitoria-Gasteiz, and their close contacts have been infected, according to the National Centre for Microbiology (CNM).
Meanwhile, the first case of the virus has also been reported inside a Spanish prison.
Officials have decided to put parts of the prison in Aranjuez - about 12 miles (20km) south of Madrid - into lockdown after a staff member fell ill, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
In total, there have been 402 cases recorded in the country. Eight people have died.
Spanish authorities reported the country's first case at the end of January, with the first death on 13 February.
Leading Italian politician tests positive
The president of Italy's Lazio region and secretary of the country's centre-left Democratic Party (PD), Nicola Zingaretti, has tested positive for Covid-19.Mr Zingaretti, 54, made the announcement in a video post on Facebook.
He said: "The doctors have told me that I am positive for Covid-19. I am fine but I will have to stay home for the next few days. From here I will continue to do the work there is to do. Courage to everyone and see you soon!"
Girl, 12, is Malta's first case - and other Europe stats
Malta's first case of coronavirus has been detected. A 12-year-old Italian girl who lives on the island tested positive for the virus, Health Minister Chris Fearne said. The girl is being treated in hospital, where she "is doing well", the minister addedIt comes less than 24 hours after doctors and nurses on the island threatened to strike if a cruise ship were allowed to dock in the capital Valletta. A previous passenger on the MSC Opera (pic below) had tested positive for the virus.
Elsewhere in Europe on Saturday:
- Belgium reported 60 new cases, taking the total there to 169
- In Germany, 684 cases have been recorded - the fifth most of any country - but no deaths
- The virus has infected people in every region of France, where 613 cases have been recorded. New measures, including the closing of all schools, are set to be rolled out in the two worst affected regions - Oise in the north and Haut-Rhin in the east - from Monday, health officials have said
What’s the latest in the US?
- The FBI says that one of its employees in San Francisco has tested positive for Covid-19. In a statement it said other workers at the small satellite office had been sent home and all known contacts of the infected person were being notified
- Florida reported two deaths on Friday - the first on the US east coast. They take the US death toll to 16 with more than 200 confirmed cases. The other fatalities have been in the west-coast states of California and Washington.
- The White House is facing continued criticism of its response to the crisis, in particular the delays in testing for the virus. President Donald Trump has signed an $8.3bn (£6.4bn) emergency bill but the government has admitted that it does not have enough testing kits. Irwin Redlener, director of Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness, described the response as "gross amateur-hour incompetence". "We've done maybe 1,000 or more tests when South Korea has done 75,000-100,000 - this whole thing is out of control," he told MSNBC
- A US Navy sailor has tested positive for the virus in Naples, Italy, Fox News reports
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