World Health Organization

A new coronavirus test developed by Turkish doctors will yield faster diagnoses, an official from Turkey's National Virology Laboratory told reporters on Feb. 17.

"The new system, which originally worked in 90 minutes, allows us to work faster by using domestic components," Dr. Gülay Korukluoğlu, speaking on behalf of the Health Ministry, said in Ankara, Turkey's capital.

More than 300 American cruise liner passengers, including 14 who tested positive for coronavirus, were flown home to military bases in the United States after two weeks under quarantine off Japan.

The death toll of the coronavirus in China has reached 1,765 people after another 100 deaths were reported in Hubei, according to official figures published today.

In total, at least 70,400 people were infected in China.

China is cleaning and quarantining banknotes in circulation to limit the spread of the coronavirus. This was announced today by the central bank, which reaffirmed its support for companies experiencing difficulties due to the epidemic.

China's technique for plasma transfusion from cured coronavirus to infected patients has proven to be effective, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing local doctors.

The effectiveness of the new treatment was announced at a press conference by the Wuhan hospital manager.

The death toll in China from the coronavirus outbreak has risen to 1,381, the country's National Health Commission said on Feb. 14.

Authorities said 63,851 confirmed cases have been reported, while in the last 24 hours, 121 people have died and more than 5,090 new cases have been detected.

A diagnostic kit developed by Turkey to identify coronavirus cases will be sold abroad, Turkey's health minister said on Feb. 12.

"It is also planned as a commercial kit and will be sold abroad," Fahrettin Koca told reporters in parliament, underlining that the team who developed the kit had focused on cutting down the time needed for diagnosis.

Global cost of fossil-fueled air pollution is $ 8 billion a day, or roughly 3.3% of global economic output, according to BGNES.

The report from the Center for Energy and Clean Air Research (and the Greenpeace Branch in Southeast Asia) is the first to evaluate global air pollution costs, specifically by burning of oil, gas and coal.

Air China will cancel flights to Athens, Greece, from Feb. 17 to March 18 as a precaution to stem the coronavirus outbreak, an Air China company official in Greece said on Wednesday.

"The reason is public safety because of the coronavirus and there are operational reasons as well," an officer at the airline's Athens office said.

Two-thirds of the world's population may be at risk of contracting the new coronavirus (named by WHO COVID-19 - Bel BC) if it cannot be stopped, said Hong Kong epidemiologist Professor Gabriel Leung.