Cambodia's premier Hun Sen welcomed around 100 tourists who were handed flowers and scarves as they stepped ashore after an uncertain two weeks at sea.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published an article on the difference between the flu and the illness caused by the latest novel coronavirus known as COVID-19.
According to the WHO, people with COVID-19 infection, the flu, or a cold typically develop respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough and runny nose. Even though many symptoms are alike, they are caused by different viruses.
Because of their similarities, it can be difficult to identify the disease based on symptoms alone. Therefore, laboratory tests
are required to confirm if someone has COVID-19.
In the article, the WHO recommends that people who have cough, fever and difficult breathing should seek medical care early. Patients should inform health care providers if they have travelled in the 14 days before they developed symptoms, or if they have been in close contact with someone who has been sick with respiratory symptoms.
As for the incubation period of the current novel coronavirus epidemic, the WHO said the current estimates of the incubation period range from 1 to 12.5 days with median estimates of 5-6 days.
These estimates are expected to be refined as more data become available. However, based on information from other coronavirus diseases, such as MERS and SARS, the WHO said that the incubation period of COVID-19 infection could be up to 14 days.
The latest developments
Japan on Friday began allowing elderly passengers who test negative for the new coronavirus to leave a quarantined cruise ship and finish their isolation in government-designated lodging.
Japan's government has given passengers aged 80 or older in poor health or confined to windowless inner cabins on the
Diamond Princess the chance to move from the ship to accommodation on land.
But only those who test negative for the virus that has so far infected more than 200 people on board the ship have the option to move.
The first of them departed the massive cruise ship on Friday afternoon, travelling in buses with blacked out windows.
Cruise passengers land after two weeks at sea
Passengers on a cruise ship that was turned away from ports around Asia over fears they could be carrying the new coronavirus finally began disembarking in Cambodia on Friday.
Cambodia's strongman premier Hun Sen welcomed around 100 tourists who were handed flowers and scarves as they
stepped ashore after an uncertain two weeks at sea.
The Westerdam was supposed to be taking its 2,257 passengers and crew on a 14-day cruise around east Asia, beginning
in Hong Kong on February 1 and ending on Saturday in Yokohama, Japan.
But the vessel was barred by Japan, Guam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand over fears it was carrying someone with a new virus that has now killed around 1,400 people and sickened 64,000, mostly in China.
REFERENCES
Xinhua; AFP; Kyodo News
Updates
