4 More 'Wuhan Pneumonia' Patients in China... Confirmed Cases Increase to 45

On the 9th, employees of the National Quarantine Station under the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency conducted thermal imaging body inspections on passengers arriving from China at the arrival hall of Terminal 1, Incheon International Airport. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, one suspected patient showing symptoms of 'pneumonia of unknown cause originating in China' has been identified for the first time in the country.
Yeongjongdo ? Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Four more pneumonia patients caused by the novel coronavirus originating in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, have been added. As a result, the number of confirmed cases within China has increased to 45.

On the 18th, the Wuhan Health and Wellness Committee announced that on the 16th, four men in Wuhan were confirmed to have pneumonia, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 45. The additional four patients are reported to have been infected with the virus between the 5th and 8th.

The committee stated that no newly confirmed severe cases have been identified and that the patients are currently receiving isolated treatment at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital. They also added that people who had contact with the patients are being investigated and monitored.

So far, among the Wuhan pneumonia patients confirmed within China, two have died, and five are classified as severe cases. Fifteen have been discharged.

With the increase in Wuhan pneumonia patients ahead of China's largest holiday, the Spring Festival, concerns are growing in China and neighboring countries. Following the confirmation of a 74-year-old Chinese woman in Thailand, additional suspected cases have emerged in Singapore and Vietnam.

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated on the 14th that it is "difficult to rule out the possibility of human-to-human transmission" of the coronavirus and urged thorough quarantine measures by health authorities worldwide.