International Response To The Coronavirus Outbreak -- News Updates February 9, 2020

Daily Mail: US embassy staff in hazmat suits board a State Department plane in Wuhan to check passengers heading for quarantine on the West Coast as the first American coronavirus death is confirmed and the global death toll soars to 724

* US embassy staff in hazmat suits were seen boarding a State Department plane home from Wuhan Friday
* Shocking pictures taken during the boarding process of the cargo plane at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport on February 7 show staff dressed in white hazmat suits and masks and blue 'U.S. Embassy' bibs
* The first coronavirus death of an American citizen was confirmed by the US government Saturday morning
* The unnamed US national, aged 60, passed away Thursday from the virus in Wuhan
* Latest figures showed coronavirus has infected 34,957 people worldwide and killed 725, up by 88 in a day
* Number of fatalities is now higher than the death toll from the SARS outbreak of 2003
* On Friday, the last two flights that the US State Department chartered to evacuate Americans from the coronavirus outbreak's epicenter in Wuhan, China, landed in Texas and California
* One passenger on each plane developed symptoms that could indicate coronavirus
* Currently 12 Americans on US soil have been diagnosed with coronavirus and a dozen passengers - including Americans - on a cruise ship docked in New Jersey are to be tested for the virus
* The first US coronavirus patient has been discharged after treatment in Washington state
* Thursday, a Chicago couple - the first US case of human-to-human transmission left hospital
* US health officials say Americans should expect more cases of coronavirus as testing ramps up
* HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a Friday press briefing the Trump Administration will commit up to $100 million to fighting the coronavirus outbreak in the US and abroad
* Development of a treatment for coronavirus is proceeding 'without glitches,' said the NIH, and is expected to begin clinical trials in two-and-a-half months

US embassy staff in white hazmat suits were seen boarding a State Department plane in Wuhan on Friday, as the first coronavirus death of an American citizen was confirmed and the global death toll leaps by 87 overnight.

Shocking pictures of repatriation efforts of US and Canadian citizens have emerged showing the lengths necessary in order to try to limit the spread of the disease as people are brought back from China onto US soil.

Embassy staff were pictured during the boarding process of the cargo plane at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport on February 7.

In the images, staff are dressed head to toe in white hazmat suits and masks, with their blue 'U.S. Embassy' bibs over the top.

The inside of the plane is partially covered in white sheeting and cargo appears to be transported in black bin liners. Other passengers appear to be in regular clothing except for face masks.

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International Response To The Coronavirus Outbreak -- News Updates February 9, 2020

In France, two schools to shut as five British nationals among new coronavirus cases -- France 24
Coronavirus: Five Britons in French ski chalet catch virus -- BBC
American dies of coronavirus in China; five Britons infected in French Alps -- Reuters
Coronavirus evacuation flight leaves Wuhan bound for Darwin -- ABC News Online
Hong Kong border towns welcome virus controls, despite trade hit -- AFP
Panic buying hits Singapore after virus alert raised -- AFP
US citizen dies in Wuhan, China; UAE confirms 2 more cases -- CNBC
First American coronavirus death is confirmed as US citizen, 60, dies in China - as the number of people killed by the infection soars above 700, surpassing SARS death toll -- Daily Mail
State Department evacuates 800 residents out of Wuhan amid coronavirus outbreak -- Washington Examiner
American cruise passenger passes the time stuck in coronavirus quarantine by tweeting reviews of his food as he jokes the only pleas for help are 'for more coffee' -- Daily Mail
ANOTHER Coronavirus cruise ship docks: Vessel with 40 people from China that was turned away from Japan arrives in Taiwan -- Daily Mail
‘We’re definitely not prepared’: Africa braces for new virus -- AP
OPEC committee urges output cut over coronavirus -- AFP
The global spread of the coronavirus: Where is it? -- AFP