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Coronavirus spreads to Beijing as China confirms 139 new cases Coronavirus spreads to Beijing as China confirms 139 new cases
(32 minutes later)
Two new cases confirmed in Chinese capital and one in southern Guangdong province amid fears of virus spreading over lunar new yearTwo new cases confirmed in Chinese capital and one in southern Guangdong province amid fears of virus spreading over lunar new year
China has reported 139 new cases of pneumonia, caused by the outbreak of a new coronavirus strain that medical experts are still struggling to understand, with the first cases being reported Beijing. A mysterious Sars-like virus has spread around China - including to Beijing - authorities said on Monday, fuelling fears of a major outbreak as millions begin travelling for the Lunar New Year in humanity’s biggest migration.
Beijing’s Daxing health commission confirmed two new cases of coronavirus on Monday. The new coronavirus strain, first discovered in the central city of Wuhan, has caused alarm because of its connection to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003.
In the southern Guangdong province which borders Hong Kong, the health commission confirmed one case of the illness. They are the first instances of the virus spreading to Chinese cities outside Wuhan, where cases were first discovered. Wuhan has 11 million inhabitants and serves as a major transport hub, including during the annual Lunar New Year holiday which begins later this week and sees hundreds of millions of Chinese people travel across the country to visit family.
It came as Wuhan authorities said a third person had died in the city. No human-to-human transmission has been confirmed so far, but authorities have previously said the possibility “cannot be excluded”.
The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said in a statement that 136 cases of coronavirus emerged in the city on Saturday and Sunday. This is a significant jump from the 62 reported on the weekend. A third person was confirmed to have died, and in Wuhan 136 new cases were found over the weekend, the local health commission said.
There are fears the number may jump during the start of this week’s lunar new year holiday, when millions travel for family celebrations. Three cases have been reported overseas - two in Thailand and one in Japan.
The new strain of the Sars-like coronavirus has caused alarm because of its connection to severe acute respiratory syndrome, which killed more than 750 people globally in 2002-03. Health authorities in Beijing’s Daxing district said two people who had travelled to Wuhan were treated for pneumonia linked to the virus and are in stable condition.
Two people have died in Wuhan from the virus, that has previously been thought to be linked to the Huanan seafood market. But the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday that some of the new cases did not appear to be linked to the market. In Guangdong, a 66-year-old Shenzhen man was quarantined on 11 January after contracting a fever and showing other symptoms following a trip to visit relatives in Wuhan, the provincial health commission said in a statement. He is also in stable condition.
No human-to-human transmission has been confirmed so far, but Wuhan’s health commission has previously said the possibility “cannot be excluded”. “Experts believe that the current epidemic situation is still preventable and controllable,” the Guangdong health commission said.
There have been two cases reported in Thailand and one in Japan. A total of 201 people have now been diagnosed with the virus in China.
On Saturday the WHO said the patient in Japan had travelled to Wuhan in alate December but did not visit the Hunan seafood market or any other live animal markets. A seafood market is believed to be the centre of the outbreak in the city, but health officials have reported that some patients had no history of contact with the facility.
“He has indicated that he was in close contact with a person with pneumonia,” the WHO said. Scientists with the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College in London warned in a paper published Friday that the number of cases in the city was likely to be closer to 1,700, much higher than the number officially identified.
The WHO’s says although the cause of the outbreak is not known, it said it is prudent to avoid contact with people suffering from “acute respiratory infections”. Wuhan deputy mayor Chen Xiexin said on state broadcaster CCTV at the weekend that infrared thermometers had been installed at airports, railway stations and coach stations across the city.
Common signs of new coronavirus infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, the WHO said. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia and severe acute respiratory syndrome. Chen said passengers with fevers were being registered, given masks and taken to medical institutions. Nearly 300,000 body temperature tests had been carried out, according to CCTV.
With Reuters Authorities in Hong Kong have stepped up detection measures, including rigorous temperature checkpoints for inbound travellers from the Chinese mainland.
The United States said from Friday it would begin screening direct flights arriving from Wuhan at San Francisco airport and New York’s JFK, as well as Los Angeles, where many flights connect.