Republican Sen. Marco Rubio warns of the risk posed by China’s control of the drug market and explains what can be done on ‘Fox & Friends.’

Now that the number of new people infected IN CHINA is slowing down, the country’s Communist Party is ratcheting up threats against the West, with a particularly nasty warning about access to DRUGS aimed at the United States.

 the state-run media agency that’s largely considered the mouthpiece of the party, Beijing bragged about its handling of COVID-19, a virus that originated in the city of WUHAN and has spread quickly around the world, killing nearly 5,000 people and infecting thousands more. The article also claimed that China could impose pharmaceutical export controls which would plunge America into “the mighty sea of coronavirus.”

 

The disturbing threats made during a global pandemic as well as the scary consequences if that threat becomes real highlight just how tight China’s grip is on the global supply chain. Already, the Food and Drug Administration has announced the first drug shortage related to the coronavirus. Though it did not disclose which drug was in short supply, the FDA did say it could not access enough raw components needed because they are made in China.

Fox News on Thursday that America is “dangerously reliant” on China for the production of critical goods, including parts for technologies needed to fight COVID-19.

 

President Trump comments on coronavirus travel bans, administration response to pandemic

Though the United States is a global leader in research, much of the manufacturing of life-saving drugs has moved overseas. The last American manufacturing plant to make a key component in penicillin shuttered in 2004. Since then, Chinese pharmaceuticals companies have moved in and taken over, supplying between 80 percent and 90 percent of U.S. antibiotics, 70 percent of acetaminophen and about 40 percent of heparin, according to Yanzhong Huang

If China makes good on its threat to cut off the United States, Rubio believes the results could be crippling.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide on Thursday went up to 124,518, up from 118,162 cases the day before. In China, there are 80,980 confirmed cases. Italy saw a 22.7 percent jump to 12,462 from 10,149. Iran is hovering close to a 12 percent increase while cases in Qatar jumped 991 percent to 262 cases from 24. In the United States, there are more than 1,300 confirmed cases spread across 44 states and the District of Columbia.

People wearing protective face masks wait in a queue to get temperature check before entering a bank in Beijing, Wednesday, March 11, 2020. For most, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for a few, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illnesses, including pneumonia. 

People wearing protective face masks wait in a queue to get temperature check before entering a bank in Beijing, Wednesday, March 11, 2020. For most, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for a few, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illnesses, including pneumonia.  (AP)

Rubio said Beijing’s comments should concern all Americans and that China is keenly aware that in a moment of crisis “they can threaten to cut us off from our pharmaceutical supplies, they could trigger a domestic problem here that would make it difficult or us to confront them.”

“It’s a tremendous amount of leverage,” Rubio said.

Situation update worldwide, as of 13 March 2020 08:00

Epidemiological update

Since 31 December 2019 and as of 13 March 2020, 133 860 cases of COVID-19 (in accordance with the applied case definitions in the affected countries) have been reported, including 4 967 deaths. The deaths have been reported from China (3 179), Italy (1 016), Iran (429), Spain (84), South Korea (67), France (61), United States (40), Japan (19), United Kingdom (10), Iraq (8), International conveyance in Japan (7), Germany (5), Netherlands (5), San Marino (5), Switzerland (4), Australia (3), Belgium (3), Egypt (2), Philippines (2), Albania (1), Algeria (1), Argentina (1), Austria (1), Bulgaria (1), Canada (1), Greece (1), Guyana (1), India (1), Indonesia (1), Ireland (1), Morocco (1), Norway (1), Panama (1), Poland (1), Sweden (1), Taiwan (1) and Thailand (1).

Cases have been reported on the following continents:

Africa: Egypt (80), Algeria (24), South Africa (17), Tunisia (13), Morocco (6), Senegal (6), Burkina Faso (2), Cameroon (2), Ghana (2), Nigeria (2), Cote Divoire (1), Democratic Republic Of The Congo (1), Gabon (1) and Togo (1).

Asia: China (80 954), Iran (10 075), South Korea (7 979), Japan (675), Qatar (262), Singapore (187), Bahrain (162), Malaysia (158), Israel (96), United Arab Emirates (85), Kuwait (80), India (75), Iraq (74), Thailand (70), Lebanon (66), Saudi Arabia (62), Philippines (52), Taiwan (49), Vietnam (44), Indonesia (34), Palestine* (30), Brunei Darussalam (25), Pakistan (21), Oman (18), Maldives (8), Afghanistan (7), Cambodia (5), Bangladesh (3), Sri Lanka (3), Bhutan (1), Jordan (1), Mongolia (1) and Nepal (1).

America: United States (1 663), Canada (138), Brazil (77), Chile (33), Argentina (31), Panama (27), Costa Rica (23), Peru (22), Ecuador (17), Mexico (16), Colombia (9), Jamaica (6), Paraguay (6), Dominican Republic (5), Bolivia (3), Cuba (3), Honduras (2), Guyana (1), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1) and, Trinidad and Tobago (1).

Europe: Italy (15 113), Spain (3 004), France (2 876), Germany (2 369), Switzerland (854), Denmark (676), Norway (621), Sweden (620), Netherlands (614), United Kingdom (590), Belgium (399), Austria (361), Finland (155), Greece (133), Iceland (117), Czech Republic (116), Slovenia (96), Portugal (78), Ireland (70), San Marino (67), Romania (64), Poland (49), Russia (34), Estonia (27), Luxembourg (26), Croatia (25), Georgia (25), Serbia (24), Albania (23), Bulgaria (23), Belarus (21), Slovakia (21), Hungary (16), Latvia (16), Azerbaijan (13), Bosnia and Herzegovina (11), Malta (9), North Macedonia (9), Armenia (6), Cyprus (6), Moldova (6), Liechtenstein (4), Lithuania (3), Ukraine (3), Turkey (2), Andorra (1), Holy See (1) and Monaco (1).

Oceania: Australia (156) and New Zealand (5).

Other: International conveyance in Japan (696).

* This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.

Download today’s data on the geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases worldwide

The downloadable data file is updated daily and contains the latest available public data on COVID-19. Public-use data files allows users to manipulate the data in a format appropriate for their analyses. Users of ECDC public-use data files must comply with data use restrictions to ensure that the information will be used solely for statistical analysis or reporting purposes.

Situation dashboard – COVID-19 cases worldwide

The interactive situation dashboard shows the latest available data on COVID-19.

The interface allows users to explore, interact with data and switch chart to tables view for details. The number of cases and deaths can be shown within a specific date range and by country. Please note that the boundaries and names shown on this dashboard do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.

The data shown are updated on daily basis (see the date of the latest update in the footnote). Some features might not work in Internet Explorer, so please use another browser.

Epidemiological curves

These histograms are based on the available information at the time of publication, originating from several sources. Data completeness depends on the availability of information from the affected areas. All data should be interpreted with caution as the outbreak is evolving rapidly. In addition, due to the unavailability of date-of-onset data and different testing policies per country, this figure might not be reflective of the evolution of the epidemic.

Distribution of COVID-19 cases worldwide, as of 13 March 2020

Distribution of COVID-19 cases worldwide, as of 13 March 2020
 Distribution of cases of COVID-19 by continent (according to the applied case definition in the countries) as of 07 March 2020

Cases reported in accordance to the applied case definition in the countries. The case definition in China (Hubei province) was updated on 13 and 20 February 2020

Distribution of COVID-19 cases by continent (except China), as of 13 March 2020 (according to the applied case definition in the countries)

Distribution of COVID-19 cases by continent (except China), as of 13 March 202
 Distribution of cases of COVID-19 by continent (according to the applied case definition in the countries)

Geographic distribution of COVID-19

Geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases worldwide, as of 13 March 2020

Geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases worldwide, as of 13 March 2020
 Geographical distribution of COVID-19 cases – worldwide

The boundaries and names indicated on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.

 

Geographic distribution of cumulative number of reported COVID-19 cases per 100 000 population, worldwide, as of 13 March 2020

Geographic distribution of cumulative number of reported COVID-19 cases per 100 000 population, worldwide, as of 13 March 2020
 Geographic distribution of cumulative number of reported COVID-19 cases per 100 000 population, worldwide
RegionPlaces reporting casesConfirmed casesDeathsConfirmed cases in the last 15 days
AsiaChina8095431792356
AsiaIran100754299936
AsiaSouth Korea7979676384
AsiaJapan67519489
AsiaQatar2620262
AsiaSingapore187094
AsiaBahrain1620156
AsiaMalaysia1580136
AsiaIsrael96094
AsiaUnited Arab Emirates85072
AsiaKuwait80054
AsiaIndia75172
AsiaIraq74869
AsiaThailand70130
AsiaLebanon66064
AsiaSaudi Arabia62062
AsiaPhilippines52251
AsiaTaiwan49117
AsiaVietnam44028
AsiaIndonesia34134
AsiaPalestine30030
AsiaBrunei Darussalam25025
AsiaPakistan21019
AsiaOman18014
AsiaMaldives808
AsiaAfghanistan706
AsiaCambodia504
AsiaBangladesh303
AsiaSri Lanka302
AsiaMongolia101
AsiaJordan101
AsiaBhutan101
AsiaNepal100
EuropeItaly15113101614713
EuropeSpain3004842992
EuropeFrance2876612859
EuropeGermany236952348
EuropeSwitzerland8544853
EuropeDenmark6760675
EuropeNorway6211620
EuropeSweden6201618
EuropeNetherlands6145614
EuropeUnited Kingdom59010577
EuropeBelgium3993398
EuropeAustria3611359
EuropeFinland1550153
EuropeGreece1331132
EuropeIceland1170117
EuropeCzech Republic1160116
EuropeSlovenia96096
EuropePortugal78078
EuropeIreland70170
EuropeSan Marino67567
EuropeRomania64063
EuropePoland49149
EuropeRussia34032
EuropeEstonia27027
EuropeLuxembourg26026
EuropeCroatia25023
EuropeGeorgia25024
EuropeSerbia24024
EuropeAlbania23123
EuropeBulgaria23123
EuropeSlovakia21021
EuropeBelarus21021
EuropeHungary16016
EuropeLatvia16016
EuropeAzerbaijan13013
EuropeBosnia and Herzegovina11011
EuropeMalta909
EuropeNorth Macedonia908
EuropeCyprus606
EuropeMoldova606
EuropeArmenia606
EuropeLiechtenstein404
EuropeLithuania303
EuropeUkraine303
EuropeTurkey202
EuropeHoly See101
EuropeMonaco101
EuropeAndorra101
AmericaUnited States of America1663401604
AmericaCanada1381126
AmericaBrazil77076
AmericaChile33033
AmericaArgentina31131
AmericaPanama27127
AmericaCosta Rica23023
AmericaPeru22022
AmericaEcuador17017
AmericaMexico16016
AmericaColombia909
AmericaParaguay606
AmericaJamaica606
AmericaDominican Republic505
AmericaCuba303
AmericaBolivia303
AmericaHonduras202
AmericaGuyana111
AmericaTrinidad and Tobago101
AmericaSaint Vincent and the Grenadines101
OtherCases on an international conveyance Japan69670
OceaniaAustralia1563133
OceaniaNew Zealand505
AfricaEgypt80279
AfricaAlgeria24123
AfricaSouth Africa17017
AfricaTunisia13013
AfricaSenegal606
AfricaMorocco616
AfricaGhana202
AfricaBurkina Faso202
AfricaNigeria202
AfricaCameroon202
AfricaDemocratic Republic of the Congo101
AfricaGabon101
AfricaCote dIvoire101
AfricaTogo101
Total13386049670