Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the place of origin of the new strain of coronavirus for the first time.
Jinping arrived in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, on Tuesday as Chinese reporting agencies indicated the virus’s rate of infection is beginning to slow. According to state-run media, Jinping visited Chinese residents placed in quarantine at home and told workers at a regional hospital to “firm up confidence in defeating the epidemic.”
However, some have mocked the claim that he visited residents, pointing to photographs and videos of the Chinese leader speaking to patients through a television.
but wait, there’s more…. video!https://t.co/FFRiUmZNFM
— Anna Fifield (@annafifield) March 10, 2020
COVID-19 has ravaged China since the beginning of 2020, with an unprecedented number of 500 million people being placed on lockdown in the country. Approximately 80,750 people in the country have tested positive for the disease that originated in Wuhan, with over 3,100 deaths.
Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia slashed its crude oil prices to compete with Russia for market share while OPEC negotiated with the Kremlin to decrease its production of oil after demand for fuel fell in China as the coronavirus spreads across the globe. U.S. oil prices fell over 30% on Monday to under $30 per barrel.
So far, neither the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor the World Health Organization has categorized the virus as a pandemic, but certain media outlets have upped their rhetoric. On Monday, CNN announced that the network will begin referring to coronavirus as a “pandemic,” but Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the network’s chief medical correspondent, stated that he believes the rhetorical shift “should not cause panic.”
The virus that causes COVID-19 has disrupted public affairs as the illness continues to spread. More than 700 cases and 26 deaths have been confirmed in the United States so far. Globally, more than 114,000 people have been infected across every continent except Antarctica.
