Wuhan virus toll in China rises to 56 dead, millions exposed
Wuhan virus toll in China rises to 56 dead, more than 300 new cases
https://www.straitstimes.com/sites/d...amp=1579995427Medical staff members walk next to patients (left) waiting for medical attention at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan, on Jan 25, 2020.PHOTO: AFP
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WUHAN, CHINA (AFP, REUTERS) - China has confirmed 1,975 cases of patients infected with the new coronavirus as of Saturday (Jan 25), while the death toll from the virus has risen to 56, state media CCTV reported on Sunday.
The virus originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei late last year and has spread to Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as Singapore, the United States, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Australia, France and Canada.
In Singapore, the Ministry of Health confirmed a fourth case of Wuhan virus infection on Sunday.
China's President Xi Jinping warned Saturday that China faced a "grave situation" as authorities raced to contain a respiratory illness that has caused the widespread abandonment of Lunar New Year celebrations nationwide and overwhelmed health facilities in Hubei.
The contagion remained centred on the Hubei provincial capital of Wuhan, which accounted for seven of the new deaths and 46 of the new confirmed cases, said the Hubei Health Commission.
Wuhan and more than a dozen other cities in the province have been locked down in a rapidly expanding quarantine effort marked by transport shutdowns and other restrictions on movement.
The previously unknown virus has caused global concern because of its similarity to the Sars (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) pathogen, which killed hundreds across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003.
It also has struck at possibly the worst time for China, when hundreds of millions of people are travelling across the country or overseas to celebrate the Lunar New Year holiday, China's most important festival.
Hundreds of military doctors have been sent to Hubei and authorities are rushing to build a pair of field hospitals to deal with the crisis as patients swamp local medical facilities.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/ea...new-cases-govt
