Additional Pneumonia Deaths Reported in Wuhan, China Ahead of Lunar New Year Holiday Travel Rush

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] The second death from pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus has occurred in Wuhan, China.

According to the People's Daily on the 17th, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission (WMHC) announced in a report on the infection status of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus that the number of deaths has increased to two as of the previous night.

The male patient was hospitalized and treated after showing pneumonia symptoms on the 31st of last month, and authorities said he died on the 15th.

The WMHC stated that no additional infections were reported between 0:00 and 24:00 on the 15th, and so far, 41 people have been diagnosed with pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus, among whom 5 are in critical condition and 12 have been discharged from the hospital.

The cumulative number of close contacts tracked is 763, of whom 644 have been medically cleared from observation, and 119 are still under observation and investigation. Health authorities are monitoring those who had close contact with patients for a 14-day observation period, considering the virus's incubation period.

However, concerns are growing as the Lunar New Year holiday (Chunjeol) begins next week, with hundreds of millions of Chinese expected to travel, and the possibility of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus cannot be completely ruled out.

Earlier, the WMHC stated that although clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus has not yet been found, the possibility of limited human-to-human transmission cannot be excluded, and continuous research and investigation are ongoing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.