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EPIDEMICS
Asia virus latest: Australia sends away ships, Pakistan hunts worshippers
by Staff Writers
Hong Kong (AFP) April 5, 2020

China says it has sold nearly four billion masks abroad
Beijing (AFP) April 5, 2020 - China has sold nearly four billion masks to foreign countries since March, officials said Sunday, as they tried to stem widespread fears over the quality of medical exports.

Despite Chinese cases dwindling, Beijing has encouraged factories to increase production of medical supplies as the pandemic kills over 60,000 globally and parts of the world face a protective equipment shortage.

China has exported 3.86 billion masks, 37.5 million pieces of protective clothing, 16,000 ventilators and 2.84 million COVID-19 testing kits since March 1, customs official Jin Hai said, with orders to more than 50 countries.

She added the country's medical supply exports were valued at 10.2 billion yuan ($1.4 billion).

However numerous nations -- including the Netherlands, the Philippines, Croatia, Turkey and Spain -- have complained about substandard or faulty medical products shipped from China.

Last week, the Dutch government recalled 600,000 masks out of a Chinese shipment of 1.3 million that did not meet quality standards.

China said the manufacturer "stated clearly that (the masks) are non-surgical."

Spain also rejected thousands of rapid test kits sent by an unauthorised Chinese company after it found that they were unreliable last week.

Chinese officials hit back on Sunday at media reports over defective medical supplies, saying that they "did not reflect the full facts".

"In reality there are various factors, such as China having different standards and different usage habits to other countries. Even improper use can lead to doubts over quality," said Jiang Fan, an official with the Ministry of Commerce.

The comments echoed remarks from Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, who over the past week has repeatedly urged Western media not to "politicise" or "hype up" the issue.

Earlier this week, Beijing tightened regulations for exported coronavirus medical equipment, requiring products to fulfil both domestic licensing standards and that of their destination countries.

China has also increased its production capacity of COVID-19 testing kits to over 4 million a day, said Zhang Qi, an official with the National Medical Products Administration.

Here are the latest developments in Asia related to the coronavirus pandemic:

- Australia sends cruise ships on their way -

The largest maritime operation ever undertaken in Sydney Harbour was completed on Sunday with the successful restocking and refuelling of five cruise ships, Australian police said.

It was part of government efforts since mid-March to force vessels to leave the country's waters to prevent any further spread of the coronavirus in Australia.

Cruise ship guests have so far accounted for almost 10 percent of Australia's more than 5,500 infections.

At least half a dozen other ships are believed to still be in Australian waters.

Meanwhile police launched a criminal investigation to probe whether the Ruby Princess vessel honestly reported the health conditions of its passengers before they disembarked in Sydney. Hundreds later tested positive and 10 died.

Authorities have also warned Australians to be wary of imported COVID-19 home testing kits, saying border officials had intercepted several "faulty" consignments from China in recent weeks.

- Pakistan hunts worshippers -

Pakistani authorities are searching for tens of thousands of worshippers who attended an Islamic gathering in Lahore last month amid fears they could be spreading COVID-19 across the country.

At least 154 attendees have tested positive following the Tablighi Jamaat event, which attracted 100,000 people and took place despite government requests to cancel in light of the worsening pandemic.

About 2,500 people -- including 1,500 foreigners -- who had remained around the event site, which includes a mosque and sleeping quarters, have been placed in quarantine.

- Drive-by blessings in the Philippines -

Priests delivered blessings from the back of trucks and motorised tricycles in the Philippines on Sunday, adapting the deeply Catholic nation's traditions to the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

Locals in their fourth week of lockdown in Manila lined up in front of their homes to watch the priests on Palm Sunday, the start of the week that culminates with the observance of Easter.

- Cash injection in Bangladesh -

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced a set of stimulus packages worth $8.5 billion to help the country's economy ride out the damage inflicted by the pandemic.

In a speech broadcast live from her office in Dhaka, Hasina said the money would be mostly provided as low-interest loans to hard-hit manufacturers and small and medium-sized enterprises.

- South Korea threatens deportation -

Authorities said Sunday that anyone arriving in South Korea who violates quarantine measures -- including the mandatory 14-day self-isolation period or by giving a false testimony -- will face up to one year in prison or a 10 million won ($8,090) fine.

"There have recently been cases of people giving false testimony or violating isolation measures," said Kwon Jun-wook, deputy director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Foreigners who fail to comply can be immediately deported or banned from re-entering the country, authorities said.

burs-ecl/axn


Related Links
Epidemics on Earth - Bird Flu, HIV/AIDS, Ebola


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EPIDEMICS
Air Force Lab testing samples of COVID-19
Wright-Patterson AFB CO (SPX) Apr 02, 2020
The United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine's epidemiology laboratory is the Air Force's sole clinical reference laboratory, and as such, is testing and processing samples of COVID-19 sent from military treatment facilities around the world. The lab was authorized by the Defense Health Agency to test samples from Department of Defense beneficiaries for COVID-19 in early March, and received its test kit from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention shortly after. "The USAFSA ... read more

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