Virus death out of epicenter reported
China’s National Health Commission says the number of cases of a new respiratory virus has risen to 830 with 25 deaths.
The update Friday morning also confirmed the first death outside the central province of Hubei.
The health commission in Hebei, a northern province bordering Beijing, said an 80-year-old man died after showing symptoms upon his return from a two-month stay in Wuhan to see relatives.
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei and has been the epicenter of the outbreak of the coronavirus first detected last month.
The United States, China and the World Health Organization have continued to work to contain the virus.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that even though his group decided not to declare it a global health emergency Thursday, the organization is monitoring the virus.
“This should not be taken as a sign that WHO does not think the situation is serious or that we’re not taking it seriously,” Tedros said.
A small number of cases have been diagnosed in other countries, including one case in Washington state.
Airports in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta and San Francisco have stepped up health checks for passengers arriving from China. In Boston, at least nine people were screened for the virus at Logan International Airport but were cleared and allowed to continue to final destinations. In Los Angeles, an American Airlines passenger arriving from Mexico City was transported to a medical center as a precaution.
“We don’t want the American public to be worried about this because their risk is low,” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci said. “On the other hand, we are taking this very seriously.”
China suspended planes, trains and ferries in and out of three cities with a combined population of almost 20 million. Public transportation also has been mostly suspended within Huanggang, Ezhou and Wuhan, the city of 11 million.
President Xi Jinping said curbing the outbreak and saving lives are top priorities. The timing of the outbreak could not be worse – the Lunar New Year is Saturday, and hundreds of millions of people across Asia travel in packed buses, trains and planes bound for celebrations. Beijing canceled its major new year events and announced The Forbidden City, the palace complex/museum, will close indefinitely Saturday.
Hong Kong turned two holiday camps into quarantine areas for people who may have come into contact with the virus.
Airports around the world stepped up health screenings.
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, said all passengers arriving on direct flights from China will receive health screenings. Russian airports screen passengers arriving from China.
British authorities said passengers arriving from China to Heathrow Airport in London, Europe’s busiest, and other airports won’t get special screening but will be given leaflets on what to do if they become ill.