CHINA / SOCIETY
Novel Coronavirus-related cases found in more Chinese cities
Published: Jan 20, 2020 10:58 AM

A woman leaves the Wuhan Medical Treatment Centre in Central China's Hubei Province on Sunday. Wuhan's health authority said on Sunday that 717 people are still under medical observation amid the pneumonia outbreak. Forty-one people have been infected with the new virus as of Saturday, with 6 having recovered, 1 dead and 7 seriously ill. Photo: AFP

New cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in other parts of China, with two patients under treatment in Beijing's Daxing district and one confirmed and eight other suspected cases in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province. 

The two people in Beijing had traveled to Wuhan where they came down with a fever. They have not shown respiratory symptoms so far and are being treated in isolation wards. 

People who were in close contact with the patients in Beijing are now under medical observation. None of them have shown signs of a fever, Daxing health commission said on Sina Weibo. 

A 66-year-old patient from Shenzhen, Guangdong Province came down with a fever on January 3 when he was in Wuhan visiting a family member. The patient went to a hospital after returning to Shenzhen and was quarantined on January 11. He is now in stable condition and his close contacts are being monitored. Eight other people suspected of having contracted the virus are under medical observation and treatment in Shenzhen.

Guangdong health authorities are optimizing hospital procedures to deal with suspected cases and have strengthened regulations over agricultural markets. 

East China's Zhejiang Province has reported five cases of people in different cities suffering from respiratory symptoms and fever. The patients are being treated in Wenzhou, Zhoushan and Hangzhou and all had travelled from Wuhan.  

Authorities are now verifying if the patients have contracted the new coronavirus, and will provide updates once the patients' condition has been confirmed, the province's health commission said on Monday.

The infectious new coronavirus was first detected in people who worked or visited a seafood market in Wuhan. The number of coronavirus cases in the city has climbed to 198, with 136 new cases confirmed over the weekend.

Coronavirus cases have also been confirmed in Japan and Thailand. Ninety suspected cases have been reported in Hong Kong, while Singapore and Vietnam have also discovered suspected cases. 

The public has expressed concern over a possible epidemic that could emerge during the ongoing Spring Festival travel rush, which will challenge the country's disease prevention and control authorities, who have already implemented a number of measures to detect new cases of the disease. 

Global Times