Covid-19 in China

[Randy W]

An ongoing topic - click here for Most Recent Post

 

from the SCMP

Families of Wuhan pneumonia patients say they are being kept in the dark

• Relative of one of the 27 people affected by the mystery virus says doctors, hospital refuse to tell them anything
• Health authority in central China city says updates will be published online in due course

 

The Wuhan seafood market at the centre of the pneumonia outbreak has been closed since Wednesday. Photo: Handout

 

Quote

Authorities in Wuhan said on Tuesday that 27 people had been taken into hospital in December suffering from the virus, of whom seven were in a serious condition.

 

The circumstances of the outbreak show similarities to the Sars and bird flu epidemics that killed hundreds of people in mainland China and Hong Kong between 2002 and 2004. Most of the people affected in Wuhan worked at the Huanan seafood market in the city, which was later found to have also sold other animals, including birds and rabbits.

 

. . .

 

The World Health Organisation said yesterday it was in contact with Chinese authorities and efforts were under way to identify the virus.

 

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s health authority said on Thursday that a local woman was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital on her return from Wuhan after displaying symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection.

 

Initial tests, however, came back negative for Sars and bird flu, it said.

 

“As the patient said she had been to Wuhan before developing symptoms, Tuen Mun Hospital immediately arranged for her to stay in an isolation ward for treatment,” a spokesman for the hospital authority said.

 

A hospital source said the woman had a fever but it had subsided, adding she was in Wuhan during the Christmas break.

 

 

 

A Hong Kong woman was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital on her return from Wuhan after displaying symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection. Photo: Sam Tsang

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

from the SCMP

 

Hong Kong reports two ‘pneumonia’ cases as Wuhan outbreak jumps to 44 people

• All those with the mystery illness in Wuhan are under quarantine, health authorities say
• A further 121 people in mainland China are under medical observation

 

 

Eleven of the Wuhan patients were in “serious condition”, the authorities said.

The outbreak had an “unknown cause”, according to a statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission on Friday afternoon. All patients were under quarantine, the announcement said.

A further 121 people in Wuhan who had been in close contact with the infected patients had been placed under medical observation and the authorities were continuing to monitor developments on their condition.

More to come …

 

[Randy W]

from the Scientific American

 

Cause of Wuhan’s Mysterious Pneumonia Cases Still Unknown, Chinese Officials Say

The virus has sickened 59 people so far but does not appear to be transmitting among humans

 

 

The cause of mysterious pneumonia cases in the Chinese city of Wuhan remains unknown, health authorities in the city said Sunday, as the number of infected people rose to 59 from 44 on Friday.

Seven of the sick are listed as critically ill, down from 11 on Friday. The number of close contacts of cases under medical observation has risen to 163.

Sunday’s statement, the third from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission about the incident, is the first to give information about when people became infected. The first person known to have become ill began to show symptoms on Dec. 12 and the last date of symptom onset among the sick was Dec. 29, the statement said.

Preliminary investigations show no clear evidence of person-to-person spread of the infection, and no cases among health workers, the Wuhan authorities said. The latter fact is especially important.

Infections among medical staff are common at the start of infectious diseases outbreaks, when health workers don’t know they need to take special precautions to protect themselves.

“I would say that … given the dates that they have mentioned there and the fact that no health care workers have been infected would suggest it’s not transmitting efficiently in humans,” said Ralph Baric, who studies emerging viruses at the University of North Carolina.

“So it sounds to me like it’s something that’s jumped from animals to humans, and it’s in early stages. And right now it’s virus evolution versus public health control measures to try to prevent spread. That’s what’s going on,” he said.

The Wuhan statement listed some pathogens Chinese scientists feel confident are not responsible for this outbreak: regular influenza, avian influenza, adenoviruses (which can cause severe respiratory infections), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) or SARS.

 

[Randy W]

from the Sixth Tone

 

New Coronavirus Responsible for Wuhan Pneumonia, CCTV Says

A team of public health experts made the preliminary determination after sequencing the virus’ entire genome, according to China’s state broadcaster.

 

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are six known coronaviruses that infect humans. Four produce relatively minor flu-like symptoms, while two — the viruses that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory system (MERS) — are more serious. Wuhan health authorities on Sunday ruled out the possibility that SARS and MERS were responsible for city’s infections.

Though coronaviruses typically infect mammals — including bats, livestock, and household pets — they can also infect humans, and may spread from sick to healthy people through the air (coughing and sneezing), close physical contact, or when fingers touch a contaminated surface and then the mouth, nose, or eyes, according to the U.S. CDC. Chinese authorities, however, say they have found no evidence of human-to-human transmission in the Wuhan cases.

The World Health Organization has confirmed that a new coronavirus may be responsible for the outbreak cluster in Wuhan, according to multiple media reports Thursday.

 

 

 

 

. . . and Reuters

 

WHO says new virus may have caused China pneumonia outbreak

[Randy W]

Wuhan is CLOSED- from the SCMP

No scare around here

China coronavirus: as travel ban is issued for Wuhan, many in city rush to escape

Edited December 21, 2020 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

https://www.facebook.com/369959106408139/posts/3283307728406581/

 

Quote

 

同舟共济，武汉加油！

心手相连、风雨同舟，最后的胜利一定属于武汉！加油，武汉！

Help each other in the same boat, Wuhan, come on!

With hearts and hands connected and in the same boat, the final victory must belong to Wuhan! Come on, Wuhan!

 

 

Edited December 22, 2022 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

I don't know if this is correct, but it seems like they haven't reported any cases of people-to-people transmission. That is, perhaps the only geographical distribution is through travel.

 

But it seems easy to catch and very dangerous

Edited January 23, 2020 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Greg.D.]

No, since several days now, the appropriate authorities in China have confirmed person-to-person transmission. The giveaway was when health care workers were getting the virus. That would be the only reason to keep people from traveling from Wuhan, too.

 

NY Times says "By evening, officials planned to close off Huanggang, a city of seven million about 30 miles east of Wuhan, shut rail stations in the nearby city of Ezhou, which has about one million residents, and impose travel restrictions on the smaller cities of Chibi and Zhijiang as well."

 

I just bought a case (of 20) of 3M N95 face masks at Grainger and will go do a counter pickup this afternoon to send to China tomorrow. With the week long new year holiday, delivery should be even slower than usual but there is nothing else I can do from here to help family there.

 

Acactually, chance of infection is vanishingly small at this time ... but, I've seen my wife's China brain come to the fore in the last few days, so I yield.

 

SARS was virulent but it lasted a year (at most) perhaps because it was too virulent. If this was killing children, it would be disaster, but, for now, it's just older people losing the battle.

 

The Spanish flu of 1918 killed 50-100 million people (3-5% of the global population) - they think 500 million peolpe were infected. In the U.S., more than half a million million died from it.

[Randy W]

WHO says

 

Ghebreyesus said there was “no evidence” of human-to-human transmission outside China, “but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen”.

 

What I'm thinking is that ALL cases were acquired in Wuhan, and spread only by traveling but, again I just don't know.

 

China coronavirus: World Health Organisation not declaring virus’ spread a global emergency

 

The UN agency’s ruling came as Beijing placed eight cities in central China’s Hubei province, including its capital Wuhan, under lockdown to stop the virus’ spread. Authorities also reported the first fatality outside Hubei, after an 80-year-old in Hebei province who died on Wednesday was confirmed to have had the illness.

 

 

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3047455/china-coronavirus-world-health-organisation-not-declaring-virus?utm_content=article&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1579804883

[Randy W]

I know it's been mentioned, but I'm also missing where they talk about the incubation period - how long after infection before it's detectable. This would be a big factor in the global distribution- It may be 1 week if I remember correctly

[Randy W]

https://www.facebook.com/355665009819/posts/10157951601249820/

Edited December 21, 2020 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

That video is from Wuhan。I am at the TCM Hospital in Yulin where I pretty much have a floor to myself for the Chinese New Year holiday (5 days)

[Randy W]

https://www.facebook.com/188625661189259/posts/3016239028427894/

 

Edited December 22, 2022 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

U.S. Plans to Evacuate Citizens From Epidemic-Stricken Chinese City. https://tiny.iavian.net/xeli

 

 

This is a WSJ article, apparently re-posted by Drudge

[Cale1953]

The Chinese response, although belated is better than it would be in the US.

The situation is indeed dire, but imagine if it was in the .US. We would be doomed