New Phase of COVID-19 Spread... Rapid Increase in Confirmed, Suspected Cases and Deaths

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] Although the Chinese government is making every effort to defend against the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia), the rapidly increasing numbers of confirmed, suspected, and deceased cases suggest that the situation is still far from being under control.

According to the announcement by the National Health Commission of China (NHC) on the 30th, from 0:00 to 24:00 on the 29th, the number of additional deaths due to the novel coronavirus across China (31 provinces) was 38. This is the highest daily death toll since the virus outbreak.

The number of newly confirmed cases also approached a record high at 1,737. This is not much different from the previous record of 1,771 new cases reported on the 27th. The cumulative number of confirmed cases currently stands at 7,711. The daily figures have been increasing by thousands consecutively: 2,744 on the 26th, 4,515 on the 27th, 5,974 on the 28th, and 7,711 on the 29th.

The rate of increase in suspected cases is also accelerating.

On this day, the NHC announced that the number of newly suspected cases within 24 hours was 4,148. This is the first time since the outbreak that the number of suspected cases increased by more than 4,000 in a single day. The cumulative number of suspected cases has already surpassed 10,000, reaching 12,167. Since suspected cases can turn into confirmed cases at any time, a rapid increase in confirmed cases is inevitable for the time being.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have rolled up their sleeves to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, and both central and local governments in China are implementing high-intensity measures.

Many regions are already moving to minimize regional movement of people by postponing the Lunar New Year holiday to next month. Hubei Province, the epicenter of the virus, extended the holiday for companies until February 13. Shanghai, Jiangsu Province, Guangdong Province, Chongqing, Hangzhou, and others also extended company holidays until February 9.

To minimize gatherings, various events and activities have also been postponed. According to China Central Television (CCTV), the Shanxi provincial government has notified all companies within Shanxi Province to completely suspend on-site recruitment activities, including job fairs, starting from the 31st. The International Ski Federation Gao Shan Ski World Cup, the first test event for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has also been canceled.

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