China says new coronavirus outbreak peak has passed
Print Edition
CHINA yesterday said the peak of the current novel coronavirus epidemic in the country is over, after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.
New cases keep declining and the overall epidemic situation remains at a low level in China, Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the National Health Commission said at a press conference in Beijing.
Mi said the number of new confirmed cases in Wuhan, the epicenter in the central Hubei Province, has dropped to a single digit, with only eight cases reported on Wednesday. No new cases had been reported in other cities of Hubei for a week in a row.
Another 11 people died nationwide, the lowest daily increase since late January, bringing the toll in China to 3,169 deaths.
The total number of cases recorded in China’s mainland was 80,793. As of Tuesday, 62,793 people had recovered and been discharged from hospital, or nearly 80 percent of the infections.
On Wednesday, only seven new cases were reported on the Chinese mainland outside Hubei, but six were imported from overseas, Mi revealed.
Minimizing the risks of imported COVID-19 cases has become a priority in China’s epidemic control and prevention efforts, according to Zhong Nanshan, an 83-year-old epidemiologist renowned for helping combat the SARS outbreak in 2003.
Imported cases often arrived in China with some symptoms, but not necessarily a fever, so more efforts should be made on monitoring the cases, Zhong told a press conference in Guangzhou, suggesting that nucleic acid tests should be used for emergency cases.
By the end of Wednesday, 85 imported cases had been reported, the NHC said.
On Wednesday, the WHO said that the outbreak can be characterized as a “pandemic” as the virus has spread alarmingly worldwide.
There are now more than 118,000 confirmed cases in 114 countries and regions, and 4,291 people have lost their lives, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva, noting that the number of coronavirus cases, deaths and affected countries is expected to climb even higher in the days and weeks ahead.
Zhong said that if most countries act like China, attaching national-level importance to response efforts, the pandemic could be brought under control “by June.”
“I know that some countries have done a good job and some countries have not. Some countries have reminded people to be wary of the virus and not to treat it as flu. Our estimate of global control by June is based on the positive measures taken by those countries, but if the world fails to attach great importance to addressing the threat and infectiousness of the virus through interventions, this timeframe may be extended,” Zhong said.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, China has taken the most comprehensive, strictest and most thorough prevention and control measures, gaining precious time for itself and other countries and regions in setting up their own epidemic prevention and control, Mi said, adding: “China is paying close attention to the current rapid global spread of the epidemic, and can empathize with other countries in terms of the pressure over prevention and control.”
As the mortality rate of the outbreak abroad is similar to the early stage of Wuhan, Zhong noted that China’s experience can help the world avoid detours in their fight against the outbreak and it is essential to enhance exchanges between China and overseas regions.
Zhong said his team has exchanged ideas on epidemic prevention and control with Japan, Singapore and a number of European countries, and Chinese experts have been sent to Italy, with the Foreign Ministry confirming that a nine-person medical team is in the Mediterranean country to assist in the containment of COVID-19.
The expert team departed Shanghai earlier in the day, taking with them intensive care and medical protective equipment to Rome, ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a news briefing.
China and European countries have been in close communication and cooperation since the outbreak, Geng said, noting the two sides have formed a joint experts’ group made up of officials and experts from the NHC, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
International solidarity and cooperation are crucial in the face of the epidemic, Geng said, adding that China is willing to further promote cooperation with Europe in diagnosis, treatment technology, and drug research. He cited ancient Roman philosopher Seneca, saying that “we are waves of the same sea, leaves of the same tree, flowers of the same garden,” expressing hope that the international community will win the war against COVID-19 through joint efforts.
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