Coronavirus live update: Tom Hanks, wife Rita Wilson test positive, as number of infected people doubles every six days

Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for the coronavirus. Here's how the outbreak is affecting lives around the globe

Tom Hanks also announced in December that he would be taking the Covid-19 vaccine publicly along with wife Rita Wilson to shun fear and instill faith among people. @Shutterstock

Tom Hanks, who is currently in Australia for the production of a new movie on the life of Elvis Presley, and his wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for the coronavirus. In a statement, the actor said that they will be 'tested, observed and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires'. The fact that such a prominent celebrity has been tested positive means that more people will now wake up to the seriousness of the outbreak which, according to epidemiologists, doubles every six days. The spread of the coronavirus is almost unprecedented. In less than 3 months, it has spread to almost all corners of the globe. As on 11 march 2020, according to the World Health Organisation, there are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives.

WHO asks countries to stand together in time of need

While declaring the outbreak a pandemic, the World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for countries to learn from one another's successes, act in unison and help protect one another against a common threat. Ninety per cent of the confirmed coronavirus cases are in four countries, China, Italy, Iran and South Korea. The WHO says that this indicates that the pandemic can still be contained if countries act fast.

China, Singapore, S Korea see significant drop in cases

The coronavirus cases are increasing by the hour. Most of the cases are now outside China, the epicenter of the disease. Coronavirus cases are coming down in South Korea and Singapore also. While China has steadily shown a decline in new cases, elsewhere in the world there has been an alarming increase in both the number of confirmed cases and death toll. Though many countries are proactively dealing with the situation, may are lacking in their response.

US restricts entry of people from Europe

In the US alone, the number of confirmed cases has crossed the 1000 mark. There, more than 35 patients have already succumbed to the disease. Health professionals expect the numbers to increase significantly in the next few days. In light of this President Trump has restricted entry of people from Europe to the US. However, these restrictions will not apply to people coming in from the UK, which has also seen an increase in number of coronavirus cases.