Coronavirus cases without China travel history could be tip of iceberg, WHO chief says as deaths hit 910

Coronavirus cases without China travel history could be tip of iceberg, WHO chief says as deaths hit 910

The death toll of the coronavirus officially surpassed that of Sars, after China’s health authorities reported a further 97 deaths over the course of Sunday, the deadliest day so far, SCMP report.

The latest daily increase took the total number of confirmed deaths caused by the “novel coronavirus pneumonia” – officially named by China’s National Health Commission (NHC) on Saturday – to 910. All but two of those had occurred in mainland China.

The commission on Monday morning reported 3,062 new cases of infection as of Sunday at midnight, taking the total to date to 40,171. Of those in hospital, almost 6,500 are severe cases, according to the data.

Sars – or severe acute respiratory syndrome – killed 813 people as it swept through China and other parts of Asia in 2002-03, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) figures. Sars had a much higher fatality rate (around 10 per cent) than that of the new coronavirus, which has killed around 2 per cent of all those infected.

Hubei battles on

Also on Monday, health authorities in the province of Hubei, where the disease first broke out in December, reported 2,618 cases overnight, as its total number of infections rose to almost 30,000.Coronavirus outbreakCoronavirus outbreak: All stories|Health in China

Of the 97 deaths reported nationwide on Sunday, 91 were in Hubei. Almost 1,800 of the province’s patients have recovered and been released from hospital.

Hubei’s provincial capital of Wuhan, the contagion’s epicentre, began twice-daily disinfections on Sunday. Disinfections of areas including those around hospitals, quarantine locations and community facilities would be carried out at 10am and 4pm, the nationalist tabloid Global Times tweeted on Monday.

Amid a steady rise of cases overseas, numerous governments, including those of Japan, the United States and Singapore, have implemented restrictions barring entry to those with recent travel history to China. Countries have also evacuated their citizens from Wuhan, one of the many cities in China to have been put under lockdown.

International experts fly in

WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Twitter on Sunday that a WHO team of international experts had left for China to help investigate the outbreak.

“I’ve just been at the airport seeing off members of an advance team for the @WHO-led #2019nCoV international expert mission to #China, led by Dr Bruce Aylward, veteran of past public health emergencies,” he said in a tweet from Geneva.

Tedros met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in late January, and the two sides agreed an international mission would be sent.

Aylward, a Canadian epidemiologist and emergencies expert, has previously led the WHO’s response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, as well as initiatives on immunisation, communicable diseases control and polio eradication.

Cases without China travel history ‘could soar’

Tedros has warned that confirmed cases of coronavirus being transmitted by people who have never travelled to China could be the “tip of the iceberg”.

“There have been some concerning instances of onward #2019nCoV spread from people with no travel history to [China],” he tweeted on Sunday, using the virus’ scientific name.

“The detection of a small number of cases may indicate more widespread transmission in other countries; in short, we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg.”

Although the virus’ spread outside China appeared to be slow, Tedros warned that it could accelerate.

“Containment remains our objective, but all countries must use the window of opportunity created by the containment strategy to prepare for the virus’ possible arrival,” he said.

Beijing subway quiet

As people in Beijing returned to work after an extended Lunar New Year holiday, state media reported about a 50 per cent drop in subway passengers compared with a normal working day.

Commuters arriving without wearing a face mask would be advised to leave the station, China Global Television Network – the international division of state broadcaster CCTV – said on Twitter on Monday.

State newspaper Beijing Daily and Chinese search engine Sogou have jointly launched a self-test app that uses artificial intelligence to help people determine their risk of coronavirus infection.

The tool was developed based on a questionnaire published by the NHC. Users answer questions about factors such as fever and history of exposure to the virus.

“The detection of a small number of cases may indicate more widespread transmission in other countries; in short, we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg.”

Although the virus’ spread outside China appeared to be slow, Tedros warned that it could accelerate.

“Containment remains our objective, but all countries must use the window of opportunity created by the containment strategy to prepare for the virus’ possible arrival,” he said.

Beijing subway quiet

As people in Beijing returned to work after an extended Lunar New Year holiday, state media reported about a 50 per cent drop in subway passengers compared with a normal working day.

Commuters arriving without wearing a face mask would be advised to leave the station, China Global Television Network – the international division of state broadcaster CCTV – said on Twitter on Monday.

State newspaper Beijing Daily and Chinese search engine Sogou have jointly launched a self-test app that uses artificial intelligence to help people determine their risk of coronavirus infection.

The tool was developed based on a questionnaire published by the NHC. Users answer questions about factors such as fever and history of exposure to the virus.