The outbreak has killed more than 3,400 people and spread across more than 90 nations, with seven countries reporting their first cases on Friday. The World Health Organization (WHO) said every country should make containing the epidemic its top priority, pointing to Iran's national action plan to combat one of the worst outbreaks after a slow start. Iran's death toll from the virus jumped to 124, as more than 1,000 new cases were diagnosed over 24 hours. The ship has been linked to two confirmed cases COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus. Airline and travel stocks have been among the worst affected as people cancelled non-essential travel.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 06, 2020 23:48 UTC