Coronavirus and companies’ reaction on its implication
China’s death toll from a new virus rose to 259 on Saturday and a World Health Organization official said other governments need to prepare for“domestic outbreak control” if the disease spreads in their countries. The spread has spooked global markets and threatened prospects for economic growth.
Efforts to contain the virus risk slowing growth in China. Growth had already fallen in the fourth quarter to a 30-year low of 6%. The virus impact prompted Capital Economics to almost halve its estimate for first-quarter growth to 3% from 5.7%.

Source – gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com
The word “virus” or “coronavirus” was mentioned by 27 different companies on earnings calls this week, according to a CNBC screening using FactSet. The virus is scaring Chinese citizens out of leaving their homes, pushing governments to consider or enact travel bans, and forcing investors away from stocks that rely on Chinese consumers.
Now, the virus is worrying management at big U.S. businesses, including Apple, Starbucks and McDonald’s to name a few and enforce them to suspend their operation in China.
Here are the global companies affected by Coronavirus
- Cathay Pacific asks all employees to take three-week unpaid leave
- Adidas closes “considerable” number of shops in China due to coronavirus
- Royal Caribbean cancels eight China cruises on coronavirus fears
- Cathay Pacific to cut 30% of capacity due to coronavirus
- American Airlines suspends flights to and from Hong Kong
- Hyundai, Kia suspend some production lines amid coronavirus-triggered crunch
- Lufthansa extends flight suspension to Beijing and Shanghai until Feb. 28
- Coronavirus outbreak to hit iPhone output if China extends Foxconn factory halt into a second week
- Haidilao International chain shutters mainland restaurants indefinitely amid virus outbreak
- Sinopec cuts Feb. daily refinery output 12% on virus demand hit
- Hyundai sees output cut as ‘inevitable’ amid coronavirus woes
- Uber suspends 240 accounts in Mexico to prevent coronavirus spreading
- Apple to close all China mainland stores due to virus outbreak
- HSBC start closing branches to limit virus spread
- Starbucks closes 2,000 Chinese branches
- McDonald’s closes all branches in China’s virus-hit province of Hubei
- Levi’s shuts half its China stores on coronavirus outbreak, expects financial hit
- Ford Motor said Friday it is extending the Chinese New Year holiday for two days until Feb. 2
- Luckin Coffee’s Value Drops as Virus Forces Store Closings
- Air France joins China flight exodus as virus unnerves cabin crew
- Samsung Electronics extends holiday closure for ‘some production facilities’ in China
- Facebook tells employees to stay home as coronavirus spreads
- Germany’s Lufthansa cancels flights to China due to coronavirus
- British Airways cancels all flights to mainland China as Wuhan coronavirus spreads
- Air Canada cancelling select flights to China in response to coronavirus
- United Airlines suspends some U.S. flights to China as demand drops over virus fears
- Yum China temporarily closes some KFC, Pizza Hut stores in Wuhan
- Shanghai Disney to be closed from Saturday to help prevent spread of virus
These events were spot on using big data and NLP technology to find companies that suspend operation in China

As the Virus continue to speard to in China and other regions, we expect to see more and more global companies with significant footprints in China to suspending operations as they respond to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
On the positive side, doctors from Thailand combined the anti-flu drug oseltamivir with AbbVie’s Lopinavir and ritonavir, anti-virals used to treat HIV, success treating virus with drug cocktail, the Thailand ministry is awaiting research results to prove the findings.
If the clinic results will be approved, AbbVie could see a dramatic boost in sales.