THE first coronavirus death in Europe has been recorded in France while the total number of cases in China has risen to 66,492.
France’s health minister Agnes Buzyn announced the first death in Europe yesterday. “I was informed last night of the death of an 80-year-old patient who had been hospitalised ... since January 25,” she said.
The patient, a Chinese tourist from the province of Hubei, had a lung infection caused by the Covid-19 virus.
He arrived in France on January 16 and was admitted to hospital on January 25 under strict isolation measures. His condition deteriorated rapidly. His daughter was also admitted to hospital but authorities said she is expected to recover.
Covid-19, a disease stemming from a new form of coronavirus, has now spread to more than two dozen countries. On Friday, Egypt reported the first case in Africa.
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Meanwhile, China reported 143 more deaths from coronavirus yesterday but a dip in new cases, while the government announced new anti-disease measures.
Some 2641 new cases of the virus were reported in the 24 hours before midnight on Friday, raising the total to 66,492. Mainland China’s death toll has risen to 1523.
The number of new cases was down from the 5090 in the previous 24-hour period after authorities changed the basis for counting patients.
Health experts said that will make it harder to judge the effectiveness of anti-disease controls which have cut off most access to some major cities and closed factories and offices.
Numbers of new cases have fluctuated over the past two weeks, fuelling optimism that the disease might be under control, but also bringing warnings that such hopes are premature.
The Beijing government announced measures aimed at preventing the virus from spreading as millions of people crowded into planes, trains and buses to return to densely populated Chinese cities following the Lunar New Year holiday. The holiday was extended to keep factories and offices closed, but officials have been ordered to revive business activity.
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Most access to the central city of Wuhan, where the first cases were reported in December, was suspended on January 23. Controls spread to cities with a total population of 60 million people. Restaurants, cinemas and other businesses were closed nationwide to prevent crowds from gathering.
Under the new measures, people returning to Beijing will have to isolate themselves at home for 14 days. A notice published by state media late on Friday said people who fail to comply will face legal consequences, but gave no further details.
He Qinghua of the China Centres for Disease Control appealed to travellers to check themselves and report others who have symptoms.
This weekend, a team of World Health Organisation (WHO) experts are due to begin a mission to China. “Particular attention will be paid to understanding the transmission of the virus, the severity of the disease and the impact of ongoing response measures,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
A WHO official defended China’s handling of the outbreak. Michael Ryan, WHO’s chief of emergencies, said: “I think we as the global community need to change our narrative if we’re going to work successfully with China and other countries to stop this disease.”
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