The list of large companies pulling out of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, is growing very large. In fact, things have gotten so bad that show organizers may decide to cancel the show altogether this Friday.

According to Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the latest big brands to announce their withdrawal from MWC are Intel and Vivo. Major telecom companies are also in talks to join this withdrawal from the MWC.

The coronavirus scare is so great that show organizers will meet this Friday to decide whether to cancel the show, reports Barcelona-based newspaper El Periódico de Cataluña. El Periódico also reported that Oriol Mija, an infectious disease researcher, has asked organizers to postpone the date.

There is a serious possibility that the show will be canceled, but if it is eventually continued, it may become irrelevant to consumers. Huawei, Xiaomi, and Oppo will be the only brands that will be recognized at the show, and there will be little to talk about. This decaffeinated version of MWC will also bring delays in product introductions.

LG, Sony, ZTE, Nvidia, Amazon, and Ericsson are also known not to participate, so we will probably see their products at another event, unless the entire show is postponed to a later date.

As for Vivo and Intel, the former takes advantage of the world's largest cell phone show every year to tantalize us with their vision of next-generation phones. The Chinese company always presents its Apex model in Barcelona, featuring clever innovations that are later adopted by other brands. Last year, it was the seamless Vivo Apex 2019, with no ports or buttons. And in 2018, we got the first Vivo Apex, which featured a full screen with no notches or holes, thanks to a mechanized pop-up camera we've never seen before.

Intel never shows us the products themselves, but they always show us some prototypes and where they think the mobile and AR/VR industry is headed. But even if they don't show actual products, it's a big loss for the mobile trade show.

The Spanish newspaper El País also reports that two major telecom companies are leaving the show: the British Vodafone and the German Deutsche Telecom. These two giant companies are two of the main pillars of the show, along with companies like Telefonica of Spain, the main organizer of the show, Orange of France, and Huawei, one of the biggest contributors to the show.

There is still no definitive news on these defections. As Spanish newspapers have reported, there are political forces pressuring these companies not to abandon the show until the GSMA decides what to do on Friday.

Huawei, Xiaomi, and Oppo are probably the last three major brands that have not yet canceled and plan to sequester their executives 14 days before the show. According to the Spanish press, the move follows the show's decision to ban visitors from China who have not been quarantined for 14 days outside of Asia.

Clearly, the fear of coronavirus is more contagious than the virus itself.