A doctor dies in Wuhan as the number of infected grows in China and worldwide
Dr Liang Wudong is the first victim among medical staff. As of 11 am today, some 1,326 cases of infection have been reported, 729 in Hubei alone. The death toll has risen to 41, doubling in a single day. In Guangxi, a two-year-old girl is the youngest patient. Three cases have been confirmed in France, one in Australia and one in Nepal. Hospitals are having to cope with shortage of beds.
Beijing (AsiaNews) – Liang Wudong, a surgeon at Xinhua Hospital in Wuhan, died at 7am this morning.
The coronavirus that is spreading from Wuhan across China and around the world is the cause of death.
Liang, who was infected last week, is the first medical doctor to die among those treating patients affected by the virus.
According to local media, at least 14 other doctors and nurses have been affected by the virus.
The Chinese government updated the infection data at 11am this morning. At least 1,326 cases have been reported in a number of provinces, 729 in Hubei alone. Wuhan is Hubei’s provincial capital.
The death toll currently stands at 41, 30 in Hubei, one in Hebei and one in Heilongjiang.
In one day, the number of infected and dead almost doubled. Doctors warn that the infection is initially asymptomatic.
Guangxi has reported two cases, including a two-year-old girl, the youngest patient to be infected.
The virus is spreading to other parts of the world. In Europe, three cases were confirmed in France, one in Bordeaux and two in Paris. Another case has been reported in Australia.
So far there are two cases in the United States, three in Singapore, one in Nepal, five in Thailand, two in Japan, two in Vietnam, two in South Korea, one in Taiwan.
Meanwhile, hospitals in Wuhan are being overwhelmed, running out of medical supplies, with a shortage of masks, latex gloves, surgical gowns, disinfectant, etc. The medical staff is being overworked.
At midnight yesterday, fresh medical supplies and 150 military physicians, some with experience fighting Ebola and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), flew into the city. More had arrived from Guangdong and Shanghai earlier.
Jiang Chaoliang, secretary of the Communist Party in Hubei said that the city will accept all suspected cases and put them in effective quarantine.
However, many patients have not been admitted to hospitals due to the sheer volume of people seeking treatment and the subsequent shortage of hospital beds. Instead, they are being placed under quarantine at home.
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23/01/2020 09:45
21/01/2020 12:07
