The number of people killed by the epidemic due to the new coronavirus crossed Tuesday the thousand mark, almost all in China, the World Health Organization (WHO) now speaking of a “very serious threat” to the world.
The first death attributed to the 2019-nCoV virus, which appeared in December in the Chinese city of Wuhan (center), was announced on January 11. The coronavirus has now killed 1,016 people in mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao), according to Chinese health authorities.
They announced Tuesday 108 new deaths in 24 hours, the heaviest daily toll recorded to date, while the number of confirmed cases of contamination stood at over 42,000.
On the other hand, as on several occasions since last week, the number of new daily cases (2,478) decreased compared to the previous day.
“This remains a great emergency for this country, but it also poses a very serious threat to the rest of the world,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of WHO, at a conference of 400 scientists Tuesday and Wednesday at Geneva.
At the opening of this meeting, which will review the means to fight the epidemic, he called on all countries to show “solidarity” by sharing the data they have on the virus.
European health ministers will meet urgently in Brussels on Thursday to discuss coordinated measures against the epidemic.
‘Spark’
Outside mainland China, the virus has already killed two people, one in the Philippines and another in Hong Kong, and more than 400 cases of contamination have been confirmed in around 30 countries and territories.
But a dreaded scenario materialized: without ever having set foot in China, a Briton contaminated by the coronavirus in Singapore then transmitted it to several compatriots during a stay in the Alps in France, before being diagnosed in Great Britain.
He thus accidentally contaminated at least 11 people – five hospitalized in France, five others in Great Britain and a 46-year-old man on the Spanish island of Majorca where he resides, according to the information available.
The detection of this small number of cases could be the spark that will end up in a larger “epidemic fire,” was alarmed on Monday Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Until then, the majority of contamination identified abroad involved people returning from Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic.
Evacuees
In Asia, thousands of travelers and crew remain on board two cruise ships. At least 135 cases of contamination have been confirmed on the liner Diamond Princess, in quarantine off Japan.
And in Hong Kong, more than a hundred people were evacuated Tuesday from a 35-story tower after the discovery of two cases of contamination on two different floors, the authorities wondering about a possible contagion through pipes.
An international mission of WHO experts has arrived in China. Led by Bruce Aylward, a veteran in the fight against the Ebola epidemic, its mission is to study the origin of the new coronavirus and its effects.
While the province of Hubei remains cut off from the world for more than two weeks, its capital Wuhan, epicenter of the epidemic, has further tightened the restrictions imposed on its inhabitants.
People with fever – one of the symptoms of the disease – will no longer be able to go to hospitals outside their borough, while all residential complexes are subject to even more drastic entry and exit rules.
‘Short duration’
Outside Hubei, several metropolises also require part of their inhabitants to remain sealed at home, with the possibility of going out to pick up shopping.
Overall, China remains largely paralyzed, despite a timid resumption of work since Monday. Students stay on vacation and companies are encouraged to let their employees work from home.
President Xi Jinping called on Monday to take “stronger and decisive action to resolutely stop the spread of contagion”, appearing for the first time wearing a mask while visiting a hospital in Beijing.
He also wanted to be reassuring, saying that the impact of the virus would be “short-lived”, while calling for “paying close attention to the issue of unemployment”.
The two main officials responsible for health issues in Hubei have also been sacked, state television said on Tuesday.
Local authorities have been criticized for delaying response to the epidemic and even berating whistleblowers for “spreading rumors”. The death of one of them, 34-year-old doctor Li Wenliang, on Friday had sparked unusual calls for freedom of expression.
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