This was a Chinese study, so like with any information coming from China be suspicious of its accuracy:
People with type A blood are more likely to catch coronavirus while those with type O seem more resistant, a preliminary study of about 2,000 patients in China showed.
Korea Times
A team of Chinese researchers, led by Wang Xinghuan from the Centre for Evidence-Based and Translational Medicine at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, conducted the study.
They took blood group patterns of patients in Wuhan and Shenzhen and compared them to local healthy populations. They found that blood type A patients showed a higher rate of infection and tended to develop more severe symptoms.
In the general population, type O blood (34 percent) is more common than type A (32 percent). But in the infected, this was reversed, with type O people at 25 percent and type A at 41 percent. People with type O blood made up 25 percent of deaths in the research. Normally, people with type O blood account for 32 percent Wuhan’s population.
You can read more at the link.
If dogs can be infected with the coronavirus could they spread it as well?
A pet dog in Hong Kong has contracted COVID-19 from its owner in what could be the first known human-to-animal transmission, local health authorities said Wednesday.
Korea Times
The Pomeranian is now under quarantine after repeated tests confirmed a “low-level infection” of the virus, though it shows no symptoms of the disease, a spokesman for Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said.
You can read more at the link.
It appears the Chinese propaganda apparatus is now beginning their inevitable shift to blaming foreign countries for spreading the coronavirus within China:
China reported an increase Tuesday in cases of the new coronavirus coming from abroad, as the country where the disease first emerged now worries about importing infections.
In total there have been 13 confirmed cases of the virus being imported to the mainland — all in Chinese nationals returning from overseas.
More than 3,100 people have died and over 90,000 have been infected worldwide.
The vast majority of cases are in China, but South Korea, Italy and Iran have emerged as the countries with the most cases outside the epicentre.
Eight Chinese nationals who worked in the same restaurant in Italy’s northern Lombardy region have tested positive for the virus in eastern Zhejiang province, according to the local government.
They flew home to China from Italy last week.
AFP
You can read more at the link, but I have little faith in the numbers being reported out of China. It seems pretty coincidental that once the markets started tanking and companies began considering pulling out of China that suddenly news turned good that the Chinese were getting the coronavirus under control. Now as new cases pop up the Chinese propaganda apparatus can blame its spread on foreigners.
Yes you read that right, China of all places is beginning to restrict the movement of Koreans that arrive in the country:
More than 50 countries have implemented travel bans or quarantine measures on travelers coming from South Korea as of Friday amid fear of the global spread of the new coronavirus.
In an odd turn of events, they include China, the origin of the disease.
Korean travelers face particular uncertainties flying into China as provinces and cities implement unexpected quarantines. Some Koreans residing there are being shunned by neighbors in apartment complexes.
In a matter of two days, Korea saw its number of coronavirus cases double to over 2,300 as of Friday. The spike comes as health authorities conduct extensive testing on members of a minor Christian sect, Shincheonji, who make up the majority of new cases, which are mostly in the Daegu and North Gyeongsang area.
In contrast, Chinese figures are showing a decrease in its cases, with 327 new cases and 44 new deaths announced as of Friday morning.
Despite the fact that the coronavirus originated in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, China has been tightening its border controls and quarantine measures against travelers coming from Korea since the beginning of the week.
Joong Ang Ilbo
You can read more at the link, but China is having many Koreans who arrive in China go into quarantine for 14 days including all from the Daegu area.
The Korean government is now advocating for Chinese students to not return to South Korea until after the coronavirus fears die down:
Education authorities of South Korea and China agreed to advise their students against returning to school in the other country as part of their cooperation to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, Seoul officials said Friday.
The move comes as the spread of the virus is showing little sign of easing in the two countries after it emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late December.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
Right now the Moon administration will likely not take this medical advice because the political calculations are currently taking precedent. However, if the coronavirus continues to have more huge outbreaks like we saw in Daegu that may change those calculations:
Medical experts and university officials called on the government Wednesday to ban Chinese students from entering Korea amid mounting fears that they could bring the coronavirus with them.
Korea Times
The Korea Medical Association (KMA), the nation’s largest doctors group, which has been calling for the controversial entry ban, stepped up its calls after the health authorities confirmed 15 more cases of COVID-19 Wednesday. It said the contagious virus has been spreading rapidly in local communities.
Universities are also struggling to find ways of managing their Chinese students as nearly 70,000 students are set to return to South Korea for the spring semester. Although health authorities and the Ministry of Education announced a series of initiatives to better manage and prevent the possible spread of the novel virus, the KMA said that restrictions on entry from China is the most urgent action from the government needed right now.
You can read more at the link.
