SHANGHAI, Jan 11, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Health authorities in central China
reported the first death on Saturday from a mysterious pneumonia outbreak
that has been blamed on a new strain of virus from the same family as SARS.
Out of 41 people diagnosed with the new type of coronavirus in the city of
Wuhan where it was first confirmed, one had died, two were discharged from
treatment, and seven remained in serious condition, the Wuhan Municipal
Health Commission said in a statement.
Authorities had earlier said that 59 people were affected by the pneumonia
outbreak.
The commission’s new statement said, however, that just 41 had been
diagnosed with the new coronavirus.
The outbreak has caused alarm due to the link to SARS, or Sudden Acute
Respiratory Syndrome, which killed 349 people in mainland China and another
299 in Hong Kong more than a decade ago. Chinese authorities and the World
Health Organization (WHO) have both said that a new coronavirus was to blame.
The outbreak was first confirmed on December 31 in Wuhan, a central
Chinese city with a population of more than 11 million.
“No new cases have been detected since January 3, 2020,” the health
commission said.
“At present, no infections among medical staff have been found, and no
clear evidence of human-to-human transmission has been found.”
It said the patients were mainly business operators at a Wuhan seafood
market that was closed on January 1 as a result of the outbreak.
Authorities in Hong Kong — which was badly hit by SARS in 2002-2003 —
have since taken precautions including stepping up the disinfection of trains
and airplanes, and checks of passengers.
China has since ruled out a fresh recurrence of SARS.
The outbreak comes just ahead of China’s busiest annual travel period,
when tens of millions of people take buses, trains and planes for the Lunar
New Year holiday in late January.
Authorities in Hong Kong have said 48 people have been hospitalised in
recent days after returning from Wuhan and displaying flu-like illnesses, but
none were confirmed to have contracted the mystery virus.
City residents worried about the outbreak have rushed to buy face masks
from local pharmacies, with many selling out earlier this week.
The coming holiday has prompted concerns in Taiwan, where officials urged
the island’s health and welfare ministry to strengthen quarantine controls at
airports.
The US embassy in China warned on Tuesday that Americans travelling in the
country should avoid animals and contact with sick people.