Teams launch search for all virus patients

Inspectors in protective suits have been going door to door in the epicentre of China’s coronavirus outbreak to try to find every infected person in an epidemic that is showing signs of waning, with the number of new cases falling for a second straight day.

The city of Wuhan, where the new form of coronavirus emerged, was yesterday in the final day of a campaign to root out anyone with symptoms whom authorities may have missed so far.

‘‘This must be taken seriously,’’ said Wang Zhonglin, the city’s newly minted Communist Party secretary, adding that ‘‘if a single new case is found’’ after the blitz, ‘‘the district leaders will be held responsible’’.

Mainland China yesterday reported 1749 new cases and 136 additional deaths. While the overall spread of the virus has been slowing, the situation remains severe in Hubei province, whose capital is Wuhan.

More than 80 per cent of the country’s 74,185 total cases and 95 per cent of its 2004 deaths are in Hubei according to data from China’s National Health Commission.

Cities in Hubei with a combined population of more than 60 million have been under lockdown since the Lunar New Year holiday last month. Authorities have put a halt to nearly all transportation and movement except for quarantine efforts, medical care, and delivery of food and basic necessities. ‘‘Wartime’’ measures have been implemented in some places, with residents prevented from leaving their apartments.

Six deaths have been confirmed outside the mainland – two in Hong Kong and one each in Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and France.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency yesterday reported the country’s first deaths from the virus – two elderly Iranian citizens in the city of Qom, south of the capital, Tehran.

Meanwhile, Chinese scientists reported some troubling findings about the new coronavirus from swab tests on 14 people who returned to Guangdong province in January after visiting Wuhan and developing the disease.

High amounts of the virus were detected soon after symptoms started, more in the nose than in the throat. Virus also was found in four of their close contacts in Guangdong who became infected, including one who never showed any symptoms.

This adds to concerns about the potential spread of the virus by people who may not know they are infected.

Passengers have begun leaving the Diamond Princess cruise ship after a much-criticised twoweek quarantine in Japan, with 79 more virus cases confirmed for a total of 621 – the most in any place outside of China.

About 180 Australians evacuated from the ship arrived yesterday in Darwin to begin a second quarantine period. –AP