Shanghai confirms first case as new coronavirus spreads
Print Edition
AN outbreak of a new coronavirus has spread to more Chinese cities, including Shanghai, national and local authorities confirmed yesterday. A fourth case has been reported beyond China’s borders.
The patient in Shanghai, a native of central China’s Wuhan City where nearly 200 cases have been found, is a 56-year-old woman who came to the city from Wuhan on January 12.
She went to the fever clinic of a local hospital after showing symptoms of fever and fatigue on January 15 and was immediately admitted for treatment and quarantined.
The patient tested positive for coronavirus. Experts from the National Health Commission confirmed the diagnosis yesterday.
The woman is now in stable condition and her temperature is back to normal. Two people with close contact with her in Shanghai are under observation, Shanghai Health Commission said.
China has confirmed 218 cases of the virus, 198 in Wuhan itself, including 14 medical staff.
Meanwhile, Wuhan health commission confirmed a third death yesterday.
Five new cases were confirmed in Beijing and 14 more in Guangdong Province, the report said.
There is a suspected case of the virus in Shanghai. Five other suspected cases are in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi and Shandong.
The new strain has also been confirmed in a 30-year-old Chinese woman staying in South Korea, the country’s health ministry said yesterday. She has developed pneumonia caused by the virus. She is the fourth case reported outside China, bringing the number of known cases worldwide to 222.
Thailand has this month confirmed two cases, while Japan last week reported its first case of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus.
President Xi Jinping said curbing the outbreak and saving lives was a top priority, especially during a time when China is experiencing huge mobility during the Spring Festival holiday.
“People’s lives and health should be given top priority and the spread of the outbreak should be resolutely curbed,” President Xi said.
Xi urged relevant parties to take effective measures to stop the spread of the virus, find out the origin of the virus and how it has been spreading.
He also stressed the necessity of informing the public of relevant policies to safeguard social stability and ensure people have a peaceful and auspicious Chinese New Year festival.
Meanwhile, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also made important instructions on the spread of the virus, saying China will work with multiple parties and international organizations to deal with the new coronavirus.
The National Health Commission said it has activated the nationwide daily report mechanism and supplied nucleic acid testing kits to intensify the surveillance.
It said extra attention will be paid to the epidemic situation during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.
Shanghai has increased manpower in pre-examination triage and fever clinics to enhance the monitoring, screening, diagnosis and treatment of suspected cases.
China has notified and maintained close communication with the World Health Organization and other relevant countries and regions, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular news briefing.
Wuhan has also adopted measures to control the flow of people leaving the city, Geng said.
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