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QINGDAO TODAY
在线翻译:
szdaily -> News -> 
China goes all out to contain outbreaks
    2020-01-23  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

CHINA is going all out to fight against the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which has claimed nine lives and infected hundreds of people.

By the end of yesterday, 473 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus had been reported in 13 provincial-level regions in the country, said the National Health Commission yesterday.

The cases resulted in nine deaths, all in Central China’s Hubei Province, said Li Bin, deputy director of the commission, at a press conference. Altogether 149 new confirmed cases were reported yesterday, Li added. A total of 2,197 close contacts have been traced. Among them, 1,394 are under medical observation while 765 others have been discharged.

Macao confirmed its first case yesterday. A 52-year-old woman traveling from Wuhan was diagnosed with the disease by Macao’s Centro Hospitalar Conde de Sao Januario on Tuesday and has been quarantined and treated in the hospital.

The patient had taken a high-speed train to Zhuhai of Guangdong  and arrived in Macao on Sunday. She checked into a hotel in Macao. She had a sore throat and a cough for about a week before she went to the hospital by herself Tuesday.

The patient began to develop a fever without any breathing difficulties after she was quarantined in the hospital. Before going to the hospital, she had remained in the hotel and the casino for most of the time and had gone out for meals.

There had been three people in close contact with her in Macao, and they were under observation.

In Hubei’s capital city of Wuhan, the main battlefield, a total of 258 confirmed cases were reported by the end of Monday. Among them, 25 had been cured, while 227 were still being treated in hospitals, including 63 in severe or critical condition.

A group of experts from the WHO visited Wuhan on Monday and Tuesday to inspect work.

The pathogen, first discovered in Wuhan in December, has become a major concern during the ongoing Spring Festival travel rush, when hundreds of millions of people travel in packed buses, trains and planes to celebrate the Spring Festival that falls on Saturday this year.


The cases of infection have been on the rise recently, which is possibly due to improved diagnostic methods and advanced reagents for confirming the new coronavirus-related pneumonia, Li said.


Experts also said that respiratory transmission is the main path of contagion and the virus is likely to mutate, which will increase the risks of it spreading.


The commission has been releasing daily reports on the number of confirmed cases and suspected cases since Monday.


Experts called for being alert as there will be increased population mobility amid Chinese Lunar New Year.


Strict measures have been taken to prevent the spread of the virus. A total of 15 thermal detectors have been set up Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, and 20 thermal detectors have been installed in three major railway stations in the city.


The city will also strictly monitor and control the farmer’s markets as well as the supermarkets and restaurants, as well as toughen crackdowns on wild animal trade, Li said.


The Hubei Provincial Government activated a level-II public health emergency response Tuesday, the second-highest in the country. A headquarters headed by the mayor Zhou Xianwang was established in Wuhan on Monday for the control and treatment of pneumonia.


Wuhan has tightened the control and monitoring of outbound travelers by banning tour groups and conducting spot checks for live poultry or wild animals in vehicles leaving and entering the city, according to the city’s health commission.


Free diagnosis and treatment of cases are being offered in Wuhan.


Li added that public gatherings will be restricted, and unnecessary entry and exit trips to Wuhan will be called off.


“We should be strictly on guard against the pneumonia situation spreading outside Wuhan,” Li said.


Gao Fu, head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said there is no evidence so far showing that a super-spreader, or a highly contagious virus carrier, has emerged.


He added that, based on current evidence, the virus originated from wild animals sold at a seafood market of Wuhan.


In accordance with laws and regulations, quarantine measures are being taken on entry and exit ports, Li said.


As of Monday, China had shared information with the WHO, related countries and local authorities in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan on 15 occasions, Li noted.


The commission has organized four meetings with experts from the WHO and invited them to Wuhan for firsthand information on the outbreak, according to Li.


“We are maintaining close communications with our counterparts in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, the United States and other countries and their respective embassies in China, sharing the latest information while helping with diagnostic verification,” Li said.


The commission has provided free diagnostic kits to health authorities in Hong Kong and Macao on request, he added.


Experts say that the average incubation period of the virus is seven days, with the longest reaching 12 days before symptoms develop.


Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Tuesday that with an open, transparent and highly responsible attitude toward global health and safety, Chinese authorities have promptly reported the outbreak information to the WHO and relevant countries and regions, and shared the information on the gene sequence of the coronavirus.


China will attend relevant World Health Organization meetings and is willing to join hands with the international community to deal with the outbreak of the virus, Geng said.


(Xinhua)

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