[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] In China, more than 80 people have died for two consecutive days due to the novel coronavirus infection, raising the total death toll to 811. This surpasses the global death toll during the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The total number of confirmed cases has reached 37,198, approaching 40,000, and over 6,000 patients are classified as severe cases, revealing that the Chinese government's control over the spread of the novel coronavirus is facing significant challenges.
◆ 811 deaths in China alone... Surpassing the global SARS death toll = So far, 37,198 people in China have been confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus, and 811 have died.
On the 9th, the National Health Commission of China (NHC) announced that as of midnight, 2,656 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus were reported in China. Among them, 2,147 new cases were added in Hubei Province alone in one day.
There were also 89 additional deaths, the highest number of deaths in a single day since the outbreak began. In one day, 81 people died in Hubei Province alone, with additional deaths reported in Henan Province (2), Hebei Province (1), Heilongjiang Province (1), Anhui Province (1), Shandong Province (1), Hunan Province (1), and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (1).
The cumulative total of confirmed cases across China stands at 37,198. Among them, 33,738 patients are currently receiving treatment. 6,188 are classified as severe cases, and the death toll is expected to continue rising.
So far, 2,648 patients have recovered and been discharged, and 811 have died. There are 28,942 suspected cases, and the number of close contacts with patients is 371,905, of whom 188,183 are currently under medical observation.
Outside mainland China, in the Greater China region, a total of 53 confirmed cases have been reported: 26 in Hong Kong (including 1 death), 10 in Macau (including 1 discharged), and 17 in Taiwan (including 1 discharged).
◆ WHO international investigation team to visit China this week = The death toll within mainland China due to the novel coronavirus has far exceeded the global death toll during the SARS outbreak in 2002-2003.
During the SARS outbreak, there were 8,098 cases worldwide and 774 deaths. The daily death toll from the novel coronavirus in China was in the 40s as of January 30, then rose to the 50s this month, and now has recorded over 80 deaths for two consecutive days, showing a rapid increase in fatalities.
It is also notable that the first death outside China has occurred. According to the U.S. Embassy in China, a 60-year-old U.S. citizen died from the novel coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan on the 6th. Additionally, among Japanese residents in China, there has been a death suspected to be caused by the novel coronavirus infection.
Fear is growing as it has been diagnosed that novel coronavirus infection can be transmitted not only through droplets (saliva) or contact but also via aerosols (solid particles or liquid droplets suspended in the air). At a press conference the previous day, Qing Qun, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, cited opinions from hygiene and quarantine experts stating that the novel coronavirus can also spread in aerosol form.
As the situation worsens, the international investigation team on the novel coronavirus led by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), has decided to visit China this week. Dr. Tedros announced that the investigation team plans to visit China on the 10th or 11th and expressed hope that experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will join the team.
WHO considers the relatively stable trend in daily new confirmed cases in Hubei Province as a positive sign but remains cautious about the current situation where tens of thousands are still classified as suspected cases.
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