Nearly 10,000 New COVID-19 Cases in a Flash... Are We Entering an Epidemic Phase?

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] The novel coronavirus (Wuhan pneumonia) is on the verge of surpassing 10,000 confirmed cases within China just one month after the outbreak began. Globally, the infection trend is rapidly increasing, indicating that the virus has already entered an epidemic phase.

On the 31st, the National Health Commission of China (NHC) announced that as of midnight, 1,982 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus were reported across all 31 provinces in a single day. The number of newly added deaths also reached 43. Among these, 42 additional deaths occurred in Hubei Province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus.

So far, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in China stands at 9,692, with 213 deaths. Among them, 1,527 patients are in critical condition, so the death toll is expected to continue rising rapidly.

The problem lies in the spreading trend. The 1,982 new confirmed cases and 43 deaths in one day are the highest records since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The number of confirmed cases has been breaking the thousand mark daily, rising from 2,744 on the 26th, to 4,515 on the 27th, 5,974 on the 28th, 7,711 on the 29th, and 9,692 on the 30th.

The number of suspected cases is also increasing exponentially. So far, 15,238 people have been classified as suspected cases, indicating that the number of confirmed cases is likely to continue increasing. The number of close contacts of infected individuals is 113,579, of whom 102,427 are currently under medical observation.

Although countries worldwide are blocking transportation links with China, the global infection trend is accelerating. Outside mainland China, there are a total of 28 confirmed cases in the Greater China region: 12 in Hong Kong, 7 in Macau, and 9 in Taiwan.

According to statistics from government authorities and media reports, excluding the Greater China region, the number of confirmed cases in Asia is highest in Thailand (14), Japan (13), Singapore (10), Australia (9), Malaysia (8), and South Korea (6). In Europe, 14 confirmed cases have been reported: France (6), Germany (5), Italy (2), and Finland (1). In North America, 6 cases in the United States and 3 in Canada have been confirmed. Confirmed cases have also appeared in the Middle East, including 4 in the United Arab Emirates.

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