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Abe says Japan developing rapid test kit for new coronavirus
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that Japan will coordinate closely with the World Health Organization to prevent the recent outbreak of a new coronavirus from impacting the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer.
The health ministry, meanwhile, will take phlegm from possible coronavirus patients to accurately determine whether they are actually infected with the deadly pneumonia-causing virus, ministry officials said.
The government is stepping up efforts to stem the spread of the virus, which originated in Wuhan in central China, with 20 cases of infection confirmed in Japan so far. Abe said the development of a rapid test kit for the virus is under way so more institutions, including private ones, can conduct screenings. "We will closely work with the World Health Organization and others to make sure that preparations for the Olympics and Paralympics will steadily proceed without an impact (from the outbreak)," Abe told a parliamentary session.
Olympic organizers and relevant sports associations will meet, possibly later this week, to discuss how to respond to the new coronavirus and other infectious diseases, according to Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto.
The increasing number of coronavirus infections, mainly in China but also in other parts of the world, has raised calls among ruling and opposition party lawmakers for the government to do more to protect the public. "We have already embarked on the development of a simple test kit," Abe said. "As cases of infection in Japan are rising, it's an urgent task to improve testing (for the virus) and enhance consultation services."
The comments came in response to Fumio Kishida, the policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who said that virus testing is currently conducted only at state-run or public institutions such as the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200203/p2g/00m/0na/056000c
>How are Stocks Going Up While Earnings Go Down?
Saudis block Iran from OIC meeting
Saudi Arabia has barred an Iranian delegation from an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Jeddah on Monday, where U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan will be discussed, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.
Saudi authorities have not issued visas for the Iranian participants, ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.
“The government of Saudi Arabia has prevented the participation of the Iranian delegation in the meeting to examine the ‘deal of the century’ plan at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation,” Mousavi said, the Fars news agency reported.
Mousavi said Iran has filed a complaint with the OIC and accused Saudi Arabia of misusing its position as the host for the organization’s headquarters. There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials.
Iranian officials have condemned Trump’s plan for resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestine as a non-starter after it was officially announced last week. The Palestinian leadership has rejected the plan, saying it heavily favors Israel and will deny them a viable independent state.
https://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0006331455
>Feb 2nd 2018