The commission said in a statement there were 7,711 confirmed cases as of the end of Wednesday, with an additional 12,167 suspected cases. Although the majority of cases have been in Hubei, cases have been detected elsewhere in China and in at least 15 other countries.

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Emergency Committee is set to reconvene behind closed doors in Geneva later on Thursday to decide whether the rapid spread of the virus now constitutes a global emergency.

“In the last few days the progress of the virus, especially in some countries, especially human-to-human transmission, worries us,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference on Wednesday, naming Germany, Vietnam and Japan.

“Although the numbers outside China are still relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak.”

China virus evacuations begin as death toll climbs

A plane of Japanese evacuees from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan arrived in Tokyo on Thursday. A second chartered flight with Japanese evacuees from Wuhan, which is under virtual lockdown, landed in Japan with nine people showing symptoms of fever or coughing, broadcaster NHK reported. Three Japanese who returned on the first flight were confirmed to be infected with the virus, NHK reported on Thursday, citing the health ministry, although two of the three had not shown any symptoms.

The United States flew about 200 Americans out of Wuhan, capital of Hubei where most of the cases are concentrated. They were being screened on arrival in California. France, Britain and Canada also have organized evacuations.

The effects of the virus are already weighing heavily on China’s economy, the world’s second-biggest, with companies cutting corporate travel and tourists cancelling trips. The White House is considering further restrictions on US airlines flying to and from China in addition to voluntary restrictions that the companies have put into place, President Donald Trump’s economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Wednesday. Kudlow said the matter was under discussion but declined to give further details.

Kudlow also said that officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were going to China to help with the coronavirus outbreak at China’s invitation.

Airlines suspend, scale back direct flights to China amid virus fears

The virus appears to represent the biggest epidemic threat to the airline industry since the SARS outbreak, which at its peak in April 2003 led to a 45% plunge in passenger demand in Asia, analysts said.

The White House is considering further restrictions on U.S. airlines flying to and from China in addition to voluntary restrictions the companies have put into place, President Donald Trump’s economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Wednesday.

Asia-Pacific accounts for about 19% of both Air France-KLM and Lufthansa’s available seat kilometres and 8% of IAG’s in 2019, Goodbody analysts said.

Carriers including Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways said on Wednesday amenities such as hot towels, blankets and magazines would not be offered on flights to and from mainland China from Thursday until further notice.

Cathay Pacific and other airlines are allowing their flight attendants to wear face masks and gloves on flights to protect against fears of contagion.

But flight attendants remained “concerned with the effects the virus could have if contracted, how to recognise an infected passenger and how to deal with the nervous passengers onboard,” Lesosky said.

WHO emergency meeting today, declaring coronavirus a global health emergency on cards

The World Health Organization will meet on Thursday to consider declaring the coronavirus outbreak in China a global public health emergency, a senior official at the multilateral body said during a press conference broadcast online.

“The WHO will reconvene an emergency meeting tomorrow. We are at an important juncture in the event. The disease is still spreading. The meeting will consider declaring a global public health emergency meeting in Geneva,” Michael J. Ryan, executive director of WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said during the press briefing.