February 10 coronavirus news

There are now 42 confirmed cases in Hong Kong, according to The Center for Health Protection.

The latest case and the twelfth case lived in the same building, according to The Center for Health Protection's Dr. Wong Ka Hing.

He added there are 10 floors between these two apartments.

Hong Kong officials are currently holding a late-night press conference on the coronavirus.

While coronavirus has spread to more than two dozen countries across the world, the vast majority of cases are in mainland China.

Here's a look at where the cases are throughout mainland China, according to World Health Organization data. These numbers may differ from those reported by Chinese health officials, who report updated totals at different times than the WHO.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has listed 398 people under investigation for the novel coronavirus in 37 states, according to an update posted to the agency's website on Monday.

Of them, 12 have tested positive, 318 negative and 68 are still pending. 

These numbers are cumulative since Jan. 21 and include people with a travel history to China, as well as those who have been in close contact with confirmed cases or other people under investigation.

Pending cases include specimens that have been received and not yet undergone testing, as well as those in transit to CDC from health authorities in various states.

There are 12 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States. Six cases have been confirmed in California, one in Massachusetts, one in Washington state, one in Arizona, one in Wisconsin and two in Illinois. This includes two instances of known person-to-person transmission, one in Illinois and one in California.

Previously, there were 337 people under investigation in 36 states as of Feb. 6, including 12 positive, 225 negative and 100 pending cases.

The United States’ top infectious disease doctor said that the novel coronavirus is currently under control — "but that could change very quickly," rendering travel restrictions ineffective against the spread of the virus.

"You're going to have to do what we call mitigation, or dampen the effect within a country," Fauci added. "Clearly we're not there yet. We still have very few cases. But we need to be alert to the possibility that this will get worse."

Fauci said the coronavirus spreads more easily than SARS but appears to be less severe. The novel coronavirus has killed more people than SARS did in 2002 and 2003 — however, it has infected many more people than SARS did. 

"This particular virus has a much, much greater capability of spreading widely," Fauci said.

About the virus in the US: There are 12 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States. Six cases have been confirmed in California, one in Massachusetts, one in Washington state, one in Arizona, one in Wisconsin and two in Illinois. This includes two instances of known person-to-person transmission, one in Illinois and one in California. 

The Anthem of the Seas — the Royal Caribbean cruise ship that was delayed last week after passengers aboard the ship became ill — will take off today at 3 p.m. ET, according to Royal Caribbean. 

The ship will finally set sail after a coronavirus scare kept the ship docked this weekend. 

Royal Caribbean updated their itinerary on Monday to include Bermuda as the only port of call on the trip. 

The Government of Bermuda says arriving passengers will "apply our own protocols currently in place at all of Bermuda’s points of entry."  

"Arriving travelers will undergo a travel risk assessment by a Health Officer and could have their health monitored and movement on island restricted for up to 14 days," the Government of Bermuda says. 

The coronavirus outbreak is driving up the cost of food — and almost everything else in China — adding to the pressure on household budgets. 

China's consumer price inflation hit 5.4% in January, according to the country's National Bureau of Statistics today. Prices rose last month at their fastest rate since October 2011, when China was battling to control months of soaring inflation. 

Food, which makes up nearly a third of spending by Chinese consumers, is spiking the most:

Other items saw modest price rises by comparison: Health care was 2.3% more expensive, for example, while clothing prices rose 0.6%.

The statistics bureau acknowledged the role coronavirus played in causing prices to surge. In a statement, it attributed the increase to the outbreak and to the Lunar New Year holiday, which was observed in January this year rather than February, as it was in 2019.

Tech giants Amazon and Sony are the latest firms to pull out of Mobile World Congress, one of the world’s biggest annual business conferences amid the coronavirus spread.

“Due to the outbreak and continued concerns about novel coronavirus, Amazon will withdraw from exhibiting and participating in Mobile World Congress 2020, scheduled for Feb. 24-27 in Barcelona, Spain” Amazon said in a statement to CNN.

Sony also issued a similar statement following the outbreak.

The latest withdrawals follow Ericsson and LG electronics, who announced last week they also wouldn’t attend the event.

The event organizers said Monday that Mobile World Congress will go ahead as planned and that they would ban access to all travelers from the Hubei province.

Organizers outlined additional safety measures including temperature screening. All travelers who have been to China will also need to demonstrate proof they have been outside of China at least 14 days before the event.

Officials in China and around the world are working to contain the coronavirus outbreak, which began in December.

Here's where things stand now:

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China needs to stabilize the economy and prevent large-scale layoffs amid the coronavirus outbreak. 

During a meeting at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday, Xi said it would be important to reduce the impact caused by the coronavirus and fulfill the economic targets this year as much as possible. 

He said officials should take note that the economy has been doing well and the impact caused by the coronavirus would only be short-lived. He added the country is ready to help companies resume production and would assist those that have been heavily affected. 

He also noted that China should work on expanding online consumption.