A Battle Against Epidemic

Chinese health authorities announced that 5,997 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) had been reported on the Chinese mainland by 11 a.m. on January 29, 2020. By the same time, the death toll from the pneumonia caused by the coronavirus had reached 132 across the mainland, and a total of 108 patients had been cured and released from hospitals.

In Hubei Province, 3,554 confirmed cases had been reported as of 11 a.m. on January 29, including 1,905 in Wuhan, the capital city of the province, where the outbreak was first reported. Since the outbreak was first reported in Wuhan in December 2019, it has affected almost all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions on the Chinese mainland.

China has full confidence and capability to win the battle against the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on January 28, when he met with Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization in Beijing. “The Chinese people right now are faced with a very serious battle. And for the Chinese government, this is something that we take very seriously, because in our view, nothing matters more than people’s safety and health,” Xi said.

On January 27, entrusted by President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang inspected efforts to prevent and control the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan.

In Wuhan, Li required local authorities to spare no effort in the epidemic prevention and control work, which is of paramount importance, reducing both the incidence rate and mortality rate to safeguard people’s lives and health. Li called for speeding up the construction of Huoshenshan Hospital, a makeshift hospital for treating patients infected with the novel coronavirus, during his visit to the construction site. He also assured people in a local supermarket that the country, with its ample reserves and measures, will ensure adequate market supply and stable prices in Wuhan.

Intensified measures have been taken by authorities at different levels in China over the past few days to cope with the spread of the disease. Wuhan has been cut off from the rest of China, with limited transport restriction measures taken in some other cities. Schools across the country will postpone the new semester following an announcement from the central government.

As of January 29, a total of 6,097 medical workers from 26 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, as well as three military hospitals, had been sent to Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, to help combat the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak. They have been dispatched to designated hospitals to join the medical work.

The first batch of medical staff was sent from Shanghai and Guangdong Province on January 24. The medical workers are specialized in different areas, including respiratory and infectious diseases, and many of them are very experienced in similar emergency relief operations and have taken part in fighting the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak in 2003 or helped control the Ebola outbreak in Africa.

Authorities in Wuhan are also intensifying efforts to increase the number of beds to cope with the increasing number of patients, including building two new hospitals. According to a press conference held by China’s National Health Commission on January 28, the two makeshift hospitals, Huoshenshan and Leishenshan, expected to be completed within 10 days, will provide up to a total of 2,300 additional beds. Another 14 hospitals in the city will reserve an additional 6,000 beds for patients with the virus, which will result in more than 10,000 beds available in the city for such patients.