Fears spread over virus strain infections in China
CHINA said yesterday that 17 more people had become infected with a new coronavirus strain, fanning fears it will spread further as hundreds of millions of people travel to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year.
Three of those patients are seriously ill, according to a statement issued by the health commission in the central city of Wuhan, where all 62 of the cases in China have occurred.
Two people have died. Two cases have also been reported in Thailand and one in Japan – both involving people who travelled from Wuhan. One of the two patients in Thailand has recovered.
Wuhan officials have been providing updates on new cases almost daily since January 11, and 17 is the highest number reported since then.
The 17 new patients began exhibiting symptoms such as a fever or cough before January 13, the statement said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a tweet that some of the new cases appear not to be linked to the Huanan seafood market, believed to be the centre of the outbreak. Due to China’s efforts to implement broader screening, new cases may be identified in the coming days and weeks, it added.
The unknown virus is from the same large family of coronaviruses that includes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 800 people globally during a 2002/03 outbreak that also started in China.
The outbreak has stoked worries globally as many of China’s 1.4 billion people will travel both domestically and overseas during the Lunar New Year holidays that begin next week.
Airport authorities in the US as well as most Asian nations are screening passengers from Wuhan.
Although some experts at Georgetown
University say evidence shows the new virus may not be as deadly as SARS, there is little known about its origins and how easily it can spread.
A report by the London Imperial College’s MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis said there are likely to be “substantially more cases”.
It estimated that by January 12 there were 1 723 cases in Wuhan City with onset of related symptoms.
News about the outbreak was trending on Weibo, a microblogging platform in China, yesterday morning.
Weibo regularly filters content that is deemed sensitive.
Many on social media called on people to be careful.
“We’re about to celebrate the New Year, hope everyone is safe.
“Don’t go to places where there’s a lot of people,” said one user.
China’s National Health Commission said yesterday: “Our commission will step up our guard during the Spring Festival, pay close attention to the development and change of the epidemic, and direct the implementation of prevention and control measures.”
It said it believed the outbreak can be controlled.
Wuhan’s health authority confirmed earlier yesterday 17 more cases of the virus in the city, bringing the total number of known patients there to 62.
Many of China’s 1.4 billion people will travel domestically and abroad during the Lunar New Year break that begins next week, raising concerns about the virus spreading to other countries.
Wuhan officials said since January 14 they have been using infrared thermometers at airports, railway stations and other passenger terminals in the city to strengthen screening.