Two more deaths from the coronavirus in Iran, a doubling of cases in South Korea, some 500 infected prisoners in China: renewed concern Friday in the face of new foci of propagation of an epidemic which has already killed more than 2,200 people.
The World Health Organization (WHO) calls on the international community to “strike hard” against this virus, which has already infected more than 75,000 people in China and 1,100 elsewhere in the world.
If the number of new daily cases in China fell for four consecutive days, it started to rise again (with at least 889 new cases against 673 the previous day), the Ministry of Health announced on Friday.
Other reasons for concern: dozens of infections in two hospitals in Beijing, and more than 500 in prisons across the country.
However, China has placed de facto in quarantine more than 50 million people in the province of Hubei (center) and in its capital Wuhan, epicenter of the epidemic.
In addition, several states have banned the entry of travelers from China, and many companies have suspended flights to the country.
But these restrictions have not prevented the emergence of new cases elsewhere in the world, with 11 deaths outside mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao).
Christian Sect
Iran announced Friday that 13 new people have been infected with the coronavirus, two of whom are fatal. Or an official report of 18 contaminations and four deaths. Most of the new cases have been identified in Qom, 150 km southwest of Tehran.
In South Korea, the number of cases almost doubled on Friday, bringing the total to over 200. Among them, some 120 are members of the “Shincheonji Church of Jesus”, a Christian sect located in the city of Daegu ( South East).
A 61-year-old woman, who did not know that she had contracted viral pneumonia, reportedly transmitted the virus to them, particularly during religious services. The mayor of Daegu (2.5 million inhabitants) invited the population to stay at home.
1st case in Israel
An Israeli woman was also declared positive on her return to her country, where this is the first case.
In Japan, the controversy swelled Friday around the cruise ship Diamond Princess, placed in quarantine in the suburbs of Tokyo in Yokohama (east) and which remains the most important center of contagion outside of China.
Two Australian ex-passengers, initially tested negative when they got off the ship, were declared contaminated on their return to Australia.
Enough to question the procedures of the Japanese health authorities, which this week authorized hundreds of allegedly uninfected passengers to disembark.
“It is time to attack the virus while it is still manageable,” pleaded WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday. “If we don’t hit hard now by taking advantage of this shooting window, we could be facing a serious problem.”
“This virus is very dangerous. It is the number one public enemy and it is not treated as such” at present, he expressed alarm.
Mainland China announced on Friday 118 additional deaths in the past 24 hours, a figure comparable to the previous day, bringing the national balance sheet to 2,236.
Faced with the risk of contamination, States continue to evacuate their nationals: a third plane chartered by France thus repatriated Friday 28 French and 36 citizens of other countries of the European Union (EU) trapped in Wuhan.
‘Complex’ situation
At a meeting of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) chaired by Head of State Xi Jinping, participants stressed that the “peak (of the epidemic) has not yet arrived” and that the situation remains ” complex “in Hubei. Sign of these difficulties: a 29-year-old doctor died in Wuhan.
In Beijing, where the situation had previously seemed to be under control, authorities also reported on Friday that 36 people tested positive at Fuxing Hospital. In another establishment, a hospitalized person was contaminated by two relatives who came to visit him.
But above all, many prisons are affected: 200 detainees and seven guards were infected in Jining in Shandong province (east), and 34 cases in an establishment in Zhejiang (east). In Hubei, massive contaminations were recorded in a women’s prison (230 cases) and a penitentiary center (41 cases).
If the Chinese are gradually returning to work, the country is still largely idling. Most shops, restaurants and schools remain closed.
Encouraging news, however, Friday: even if the WHO does not expect an operational vaccine in at least a year, China announced that its researchers could carry out first human trials in late April.
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