Coronavirus prevention update
As of Tuesday, over 20,574 people were infected with the Wuhan coronavirus globally.
To date, 644 people have recovered while the death toll has reached 426.
Some 425 death cases were registered in China and one death was registered in the Philippines on February 3.
Mongolia is on high alert to prevent coronavirus although no confirmed case has been registered. The government has shut down schools, kindergartens and universities, and banned all public events, including Lunar New Year official, until March 2.
32 MONGOLIANS FROM WUHAN HAVEN’T CONTRACTED
CORONAVIRUS
On February 3, the Ministry of Health and other related medical officials held a press conference and introduced testing results of 31 Mongolian students and one child who studied and resided in Wuhan, China and came back in Mongolian February 1. None had contracted the virus, according to Ministry officials. Upon arrival, the evacuees were quarantined at the National Center for Infectious Diseases and screened for the coronavirus. China accepted Mongolia’s request to evacuate Mongolian nationals from Wuhan despite the city’s lockdown last week.
Head of the National Center for Infectious Diseases D.Nyamkhuu said, “The 32 Mongolians from Wuhan haven’t contracted coronavirus, but they will to stay at the center for 14 days under doctors’ supervision. Also, 15 people who worked in the aircraft which carried the 32 Mongolians from Wuhan are under doctors’ supervision. There are three suspected cases right now, including an eight-year-old girl who came from Erenhot, as well as five people who were close with those three are quarantined at the National Center for Infectious Diseases. Their health is being monitored and test results are expected to be out within 72 hours.”
Officials mentioned that 71 suspected cases were quarantined at the National Center for Infectious Disease between January 9 and February 3 and that none had contracted the deadly virus.
OVER 300 MONGOLIANS TO RETURN FROM ERENHOT
The General Authority for Border Protection sent buses to Erenhot to evacuate over 300 Mongolians from Erenhot with support of the Mongolian Consul in Erenhot, China.
Officials said that all will be screened for the coronavirus.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Roads and Transportation and the General Office of Border Protection are working to bring back Mongolian nationals from China in light of the new virus outbreak.
Cabinet held an irregular meeting on January 31 and ordered to allow Mongolians to return home through all border crossings with China until February 6. The government banned Mongolian citizens’ travel to China and all foreign nationals from coming to Mongolia from China until March 2. Trade of goods will resume as normal.
Some 400 Mongolian citizens crossed the border of Mongolia from China on January 28. Offcials said none had contracted the coronavirus. Some 5,200 Mongolians returned from China after the outbreak of the coronavirus.
MASKS EXEMPTED FROM TAX
Wearing masks is one of the ways to prevent from coronavirus infection and WHO advised the use masks on a daily basis. But countries around the world are facing a shortage of masks, according to the World health Organization. Mongolia observed shortage of masks and the public is critical of pharmacies raising prices.
The Mongolian Customs General Administration made a decision to exempt masks from tax with a license issued by the Ministry of Health. Customs will support import of products and donations for coronavirus prevention. Mongolians who live abroad have donated masks to help prevent the spread of the virus.
Materials directly used for epidemic control are exempt from import tariffs until March 31, the ministry said in a statement on its website. Imports of donations, including ambulances and disinfectant products, are also exempt from tariffs, value-added tax and consumption tax.
Mongolian pharmacies are struggling to meet growing demand for disposable masks. Specifically, over 1,000 disposable masks are being supplied to each pharmacy on a daily basis but they are sold out in under an hour. The filtered mask is priced at 7,500 to 13,500 MNT in most pharmacies.
THAILAND DOCTORS DISCOVER TREATMENT FOR CORONAVIRUS
The Health Ministry of Thailand reported that they discovered a treatment for coronavirus on February 3.
Doctors from the Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok said that a drug cocktail of human immunodeficiency virus and flu medication had worked on several patients, including a 70-year-old woman with severe symptoms from Wuhan, China.
During the press conference, lung specialist Dr. Kriangska Atipornwanich told Reuters, "This is not the cure, but the patient's condition has vastly improved. From testing positive for 10 days under our care, after applying this combination of medicine the test result became negative within 48 hours."
The successful treatment combined the HIV medications lopinavir and ritonavir with large doses of the flu drug oseltamivir.
Atipornwanich said he had heard that physicians in China were using HIV medications on coronavirus patients. "We checked related information and found antiflu drugs were effective on MERS so we combined both groups of medications," he told the Bangkok Post.
Another patient given the drug cocktail improved, whereas one experienced an allergic reaction, according to Reuters.
Hong Kong scientists reported that they already developed a coronavirus vaccine but says the vaccine won’t be ready for human use for at least a year. Expert on infectious diseases and professor at Hong Kong University Yuen Kwok-Yung reported to South China Morning Post that his team was working on the vaccine.
“We have already produced the vaccine, but it will take a long time to test on animals,” Kwok-Yung said. The vaccine is yet to be deemed fit for human use, which can be proved only after conducting clinical trials.
WHO ADVISE
The Wuhan coronavirus continues to spread throughout Asia and the rest of the world.
The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to this virus. People infected with this virus should receive supportive care to help relieve symptoms. For severe cases, treatment should include care to support vital organ functions.
WHO recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including:
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay at home when you are sick. • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.