China Faces Critical Surge in Wuhan Pneumonia Cases Ahead of Lunar New Year Holiday (Comprehensive)

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] China is on high alert due to the spread of the so-called 'Wuhan pneumonia' ahead of the massive ethnic migration during the Lunar New Year holiday starting this week.

On the 20th, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission announced on its website that as of 10 p.m. the previous night, the cumulative number of patients infected with the novel coronavirus, known as 'Wuhan pneumonia,' reached 198. Among them, 25 have recovered, and 3 have died. The remaining 170 patients are currently isolated and receiving treatment in hospitals. Of these, 126 are mild cases, 35 are severe, and 9 are critically severe, indicating the possibility of additional deaths soon.

With the introduction of new testing equipment, 136 confirmed cases were added over the weekend (the 18th and 19th). Among these 136 patients, 100 are mild cases, 33 are severe, 2 are critically severe, and 1 has died.

The Wuhan health authorities stated that as the number of newly confirmed patients increased, they are conducting in-depth epidemiological investigations and are focusing on tracing and investigating people who had contact with these patients.

The current number of close contacts of novel coronavirus patients is counted at 817. Among them, 727 showed no particular symptoms and have been released from medical observation, while 90 are still under observation. So far, health authorities have reported no transmission cases among close contacts.

Confirmed cases have also been reported in other regions of China outside Wuhan, indicating that the number of Wuhan pneumonia cases is rapidly increasing nationwide.

In the early hours of the day, the Beijing Daxing District Health Commission announced that two people who traveled to Wuhan have contracted Wuhan pneumonia. In Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, a 66-year-old man who had visited Wuhan was confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus. These patients are currently in isolation and receiving treatment. Although two suspected cases in Shenzhen and one in Shanghai have been reported, there has been no official government announcement yet.

Criticism is pouring in that the initial response by Wuhan health authorities, who considered the possibility of human-to-human transmission to be low, was mistaken.

The Wuhan health authorities based their low assessment of human-to-human transmission on the fact that no infections were found among close contacts. However, many confirmed patients had no exposure to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, known as the virus's origin, making human-to-human transmission effectively clear. Wuhan health authorities have yet to fully identify the cause and transmission routes of the virus.

With human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus confirmed, China faces growing fears of the spread of infection ahead of the Spring Festival (Chinese Lunar New Year, January 24?30), during which billions of people will travel. Chinese authorities estimate that 3 billion person-trips will occur during this year's Spring Festival holiday.

Chinese authorities are emphasizing again that, unlike the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak in the past, this virus is controllable through prevention and control measures, attempting to ease public concern. Li Gang, director of the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a weekend interview with China Central Television (CCTV) news, “The disease situation is controllable with the implementation of various prevention and control measures, and the majority of patients are mild.”

On Chinese social media platform Weibo, there is a surge in demands for the Chinese government to transparently disclose information, including infection cases spreading outside Wuhan. On this day, related topics ranked high on Weibo, reflecting the anxiety of Chinese people about the novel coronavirus.

Researchers at Imperial College London recently estimated in a report that the number of novel coronavirus infections could expand globally to as many as 1,700 people. Already, two Chinese visitors from Wuhan have been confirmed infected in Thailand and Japan respectively, and suspected cases have appeared in Singapore, Vietnam, Nepal, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

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