WHO sees progress in Wuhan as virus cases spread outside China
Beijing reports 409 new cases, down from 648 a day earlier, taking number of infections to 77,150 cases and death toll rose by 150 to 2,592; cases surge in S.korea, Japan
Italy, South Korea and Iran reported sharp rises in coronavirus cases on Monday, but China eased curbs as the rate of infection there slowed and a visiting World Health Organisation team said a turning point had been reached in the epicentre, Wuhan.
The virus has put Chinese cities into lockdown in recent weeks, disrupted air traffic to the workshop of the world and blocked global supply chains for everything from cars and car parts to smartphones.
But China’s actions, especially in Wuhan, have probably prevented hundreds of thousands of cases, said the head of the WHO delegation in China, Bruce Aylward, urging the rest of the world to learn the lesson of acting fast.
“The world is in your debt,” Aylward, speaking in Beijing, told the people of Wuhan.
“The people of that city have gone through an extraordinary period and they’re still going through it.”
The WHO’S Aylward said multiple data sources all suggested that the rate of infection in Wuhan was falling: “They’re at a point now where the number of cured people coming out of hospitals each day is much more than the sick going in.”
But he added: “One of the challenges obviously is the strain on the system... they still have tens of thousands of sick people.”
Liang Wannian of the National Health Commission said only that the rapid rise had been halted and the situation was still grim.
He said more than 3,000 medical staff had become infected, most of them in Hubei province surrounding Wuhan, probably due to the lack of protective gear and to fatigue.
Excluding Hubei, mainland China reported 11 new cases, the lowest since the national health authority started publishing nationwide daily figures on Jan. 20.
The coronavirus has infected nearly 77,000 people and killed more than 2,500 in China, most of them in Hubei.
Overall, China reported 409 new cases on the mainland, down from 648 a day earlier, taking the total number of infections to 77,150 cases as of Feb.23. The death toll rose by 150 to 2,592.
But there was a measure of relief for the world’s second-largest economy as more than 20 province-level jurisdictions, including Beijing and Shanghai, reported zero new infections, the best showing since the outbreak began.
Outside mainland China, the outbreak has spread to about 29 countries and territories, with a death toll of about two dozen, according to a media tally.
South Korea reported 231 new cases, taking its total to 833.
Many are in its fourth-largest city, Daegu, which became more isolated with Asiana Airlines and Korean Air suspending flights there until next month.
President Xi Jinping urged businesses to get back to work, though he said the epidemic was still “severe and complex, and prevention and control work is in the most difficult and critical stage.”
Xi said on Sunday the outbreak would have a relatively big, but short-term, impact on the economy and the government would step up policy adjustments.
Japan had 773 cases as of late Sunday, mostly on a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo.
A third passenger, a Japanese man in his 80s, died on Sunday.
In South Korea, authorities reported a seventh death and dozens more cases on Monday.
Of the new cases, 115 were linked to a church in the city of Daegu.
Thai authorities say they are taking steps to wield emergency legal powers to control the spread of the new virus and limit its economic and social impact.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Monday the National Committee on Communicable Disease has endorsed adding COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, to a list of 13 other dangerous communicable diseases.
The endorsement is expected to be quickly implemented. Thailand has 35 confirmed cases of the virus, about half of whom have recovered.
The measure would authorize disease control officials to issue orders to quarantine and detain infected people or those suspected of carrying the virus.