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A passerby wearing a protective face mask following an outbreak of the coronavirus, walks past an electronic display showing Asian markets indices outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
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Mohammed Alabed Alali, Saudi Arabia's health ministry spokesman, addresses reporters during a press briefing about coronavirus, in the capital Riyadh. AFP
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Egyptians bound for GCC countries gather in front of the Central Public Health Laboratories in downtown Cairo as they wait to get tested for coronavirus. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/7CXBZJXHERIOESAMQDJYILZWZQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=dbd21565ca795c9daf3b8da0e7a97c9ac07ceb3f3b603ca372d93a65150c4ae0&width=400&height=225)
People wearing protective face masks in a street in Kuwait City, Kuwait. EPA
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Egyptians bound for GCC countries gather in front of the Central Public Health Laboratories in downtown Cairo as they wait to get tested for coronavirus. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/M6B5IR54RCSJOAHQ6EGROKIVQI.jpg?smart=true&auth=e0afc1c0f2b0ef64a95c5d7673c70b23604075ee83da0251fd5d0f82baf3609c&width=400&height=225)
Egyptian health ministry emergency responders stand next to ambulances ready on the scene to transport suspected coronavirus cases that were detected on a Nile cruise ship, in the southern city of Luxor. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FAUQ4KUPX6GGTAERSFIXWAYGME.jpg?smart=true&auth=1cf45b9d664ed5d7a401aae3ae2ed4d556acfe097be35a6a72d585bdd8b00fa7&width=400&height=225)
Afghan officials disinfectant public areas after positive cases of Coronavirus near the Iranian border in Herat, Afghanistan. EPA
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Workers employed by a private cleaning company disinfect a mosque in the flashpoint city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. AFP
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An Iraqi health ministry worker scans the body temperature of a passenger in an incoming vehicle in Iraq's northern city of Mosul. AFP
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Medics treat a patient infected with the coronavirus, at a hospital in Tehran, Iran. AP Photo
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A woman wearing a face mask walks past an electronic board showing Asian stock indexes at a shopping mall in Bangkok. AFP
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A picture taken with a fisheye lense shows traders walking by beneath a stock display board at the Dubai Stock Exchange in the the UAE. AFP
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Football players of Al-Hilal and Al-Ettifaq are in action in Riyadh as the stands are seen empty after the decision of the Saudi Ministry of Sports to stop fans attending. Reuters
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A cleric assists a medic treating a patient infected with the new coronavirus, at a hospital in Qom, south of the capital Tehran, Iran. AP
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Afghans distribute free masks on a road after positive cases of Coronavirus near the Iranian border in Herat, Afghanistan. EPA
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A protester sprays a woman wearing a protective mask with disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus during a rally on International Women's Day in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq. AP Photo
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Protesters enter a makeshift disinfecting booth set up by protesters to help protect against the spread of the new coronavirus, during ongoing anti-government protests, in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq. AP Photo
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A member of Palestinian security forces wearing a mask stands guard outside Angel Hotel, where American tourists have been quarantined amid coronavirus precautions, in Beit Jala town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Reuters
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A policeman checks the identity card of a Palestinian entering to the city of Bethlehem amid coronavirus precautions, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Reuters
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Pedestrians walk past an electronic sign displaying the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong on March 9, 2020. AFP
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South Koreans watch TV news for information on the coronavirus epidemic, in Seoul, South Korea. EPA
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A passerby wearing a protective face mask following an outbreak of the coronavirus, walks past an electronic display showing Asian markets indices outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/DTYZW2KA6OAW7CH4NW7HLBAHDI.jpg?smart=true&auth=c65bd236cfa8d1a68a6f644b517e0743d0ac6127b6ab6943ea6ed161bef152b2&width=400&height=225)
Mohammed Alabed Alali, Saudi Arabia's health ministry spokesman, addresses reporters during a press briefing about coronavirus, in the capital Riyadh. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/7A3JE7KA4REAEBGSZ3EBBZIAKM.jpg?smart=true&auth=35414caace61ed4695b018ebc54303f7750a794a92bc1d990f16faacdd4c9514&width=400&height=225)
Egyptians bound for GCC countries gather in front of the Central Public Health Laboratories in downtown Cairo as they wait to get tested for coronavirus. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/7CXBZJXHERIOESAMQDJYILZWZQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=dbd21565ca795c9daf3b8da0e7a97c9ac07ceb3f3b603ca372d93a65150c4ae0&width=400&height=225)
People wearing protective face masks in a street in Kuwait City, Kuwait. EPA
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Egyptians bound for GCC countries gather in front of the Central Public Health Laboratories in downtown Cairo as they wait to get tested for coronavirus. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/M6B5IR54RCSJOAHQ6EGROKIVQI.jpg?smart=true&auth=e0afc1c0f2b0ef64a95c5d7673c70b23604075ee83da0251fd5d0f82baf3609c&width=400&height=225)
Egyptian health ministry emergency responders stand next to ambulances ready on the scene to transport suspected coronavirus cases that were detected on a Nile cruise ship, in the southern city of Luxor. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FAUQ4KUPX6GGTAERSFIXWAYGME.jpg?smart=true&auth=1cf45b9d664ed5d7a401aae3ae2ed4d556acfe097be35a6a72d585bdd8b00fa7&width=400&height=225)
Afghan officials disinfectant public areas after positive cases of Coronavirus near the Iranian border in Herat, Afghanistan. EPA
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/Z7RIOMJKFT7FYCIJMDW6J73GBI.jpg?smart=true&auth=6282db4b8aea78146554fa97ac2ca2c141b870cf25c30046d1b7d06d520f2bb7&width=400&height=225)
Workers employed by a private cleaning company disinfect a mosque in the flashpoint city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/DE47KDD7C2WGGFQNL536W2XNKA.jpg?smart=true&auth=3ebb58e6e75dd20c51c494b477637c8b573a8c7414aba72b2d3d7670dd2ef188&width=400&height=225)
An Iraqi health ministry worker scans the body temperature of a passenger in an incoming vehicle in Iraq's northern city of Mosul. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KK7NQMAU67IS3XIHGP4SC6X42I.jpg?smart=true&auth=130fba5017d0971d86dee622de38f4d674ff273fb0bcb0bcf9e5f6305cfdc940&width=400&height=225)
Medics treat a patient infected with the coronavirus, at a hospital in Tehran, Iran. AP Photo
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/CGCTVAYPGCQHAVMW2W7RQN3AHQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=3f670a2727c9014ad1c6d18c1dd4830637853d00391d3f13efd6b34cdfd3dc1b&width=400&height=225)
A woman wearing a face mask walks past an electronic board showing Asian stock indexes at a shopping mall in Bangkok. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IKJXD4WL6VN24PXMBQNVJEU22A.jpg?smart=true&auth=63dc1d99fbcafc0e8a096ce9d98a03e27da3f7305bee934311798135511e5670&width=400&height=225)
A picture taken with a fisheye lense shows traders walking by beneath a stock display board at the Dubai Stock Exchange in the the UAE. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/LWPVLIYXNPSFS6DCHNQNHEP54M.jpg?smart=true&auth=30a91d423bb187ab10964a009ea381a52005e2a0d92b03ab041b321f8a2f2cf8&width=400&height=225)
Football players of Al-Hilal and Al-Ettifaq are in action in Riyadh as the stands are seen empty after the decision of the Saudi Ministry of Sports to stop fans attending. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ST2NCSHEGU2JCC3UHU6KYHJMDA.jpg?smart=true&auth=2d37e5b439c6410bd56867d8982f831b398a057a1c2faf01a5063c50eac8ea22&width=400&height=225)
A cleric assists a medic treating a patient infected with the new coronavirus, at a hospital in Qom, south of the capital Tehran, Iran. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/TILYHIP5S5HGWYLY6PROJDTCDA.jpg?smart=true&auth=9edf3a15f30e3365e8342f088d85b01b7d05b6ad67ffc8bc3b75e84da391bd27&width=400&height=225)
Afghans distribute free masks on a road after positive cases of Coronavirus near the Iranian border in Herat, Afghanistan. EPA
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A protester sprays a woman wearing a protective mask with disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus during a rally on International Women's Day in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq. AP Photo
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Protesters enter a makeshift disinfecting booth set up by protesters to help protect against the spread of the new coronavirus, during ongoing anti-government protests, in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq. AP Photo
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/65MYFYSRH47LWXCY7T646BPU5U.jpg?smart=true&auth=84f935533df4237168ca68329b0ad0e9ced5d16a6391853a2f64bee4bfba4022&width=400&height=225)
A member of Palestinian security forces wearing a mask stands guard outside Angel Hotel, where American tourists have been quarantined amid coronavirus precautions, in Beit Jala town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/EGKS46BT4SJC3X4HRXIZFZBVSE.jpg?smart=true&auth=855bb4777e6ad1604915c7a54ef1443851c0bf2232d7ab8f4285cc5b3bb25ebf&width=400&height=225)
A policeman checks the identity card of a Palestinian entering to the city of Bethlehem amid coronavirus precautions, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/GYAUGP447MLKA4OIKPG3YWT2CY.jpg?smart=true&auth=28dea5a0ab762eba3fb19e890fd5b17e698440e3f2aad37822bc5d9e5242d56e&width=400&height=225)
Pedestrians walk past an electronic sign displaying the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong on March 9, 2020. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/WT4G6LSAM2G6NS6YP7BWLZPBRI.jpg?smart=true&auth=04d46f99624973ab781f7a971138da27b3d367cd7858cee579be643a964793b6&width=400&height=225)
South Koreans watch TV news for information on the coronavirus epidemic, in Seoul, South Korea. EPA
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A passerby wearing a protective face mask following an outbreak of the coronavirus, walks past an electronic display showing Asian markets indices outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
Coronavirus: high blood pressure 'a major risk' for patients, says top Wuhan doctor
Of a group of 170 patients who died in January in Wuhan - the epicentre of the outbreak - nearly half had hypertension
Bloomberg
10 March, 2020
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