Coronavirus death toll jumps to 361, confirmed cases soar to 17,200

The death toll in China’s coronavirus epidemic soared to 361 with 57 deaths on Sunday (February 2) while the number of confirmed cases went up to 17,205, Chinese health officials announced on Monday (February 3).

China’s National Health Commission said in its daily report on Monday that 2,829 new cases of coronavirus were reported nationwide on February 2, taking the total number of infected people to 17,205. The death toll rose to 361 with 57 deaths reported on Sunday, state-run Xinhua quoted the commission’s report as saying.

Among Sunday’s deaths, 56 were reported from Hubei province, the epicentre of the virus outbreak, and one from southwest China’s Chongqing, the commission said. A total of 5,173 new suspected cases were reported on Sunday, it said.

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The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland reached 17,205 by the end of Sunday. Around 186 patients also became seriously ill on Sunday, and 147 people were discharged from hospital after recovery. The commission said 2,296 patients remained in severe condition and 21,558 people were suspected of being infected with the virus.

A total of 475 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery.

The commission said 1,89,583 close contacts had been traced, adding that among them, 10,055 were discharged from medical observation on Sunday, with 1,52,700 others still under medical observation. By the end of Sunday, 15 confirmed cases had been reported in Hong Kong and eight in the Macao SAR and 10 in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, China is set to open a 1,000-bed makeshift hospital built in a record time of 10 days at Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus outbreak in central China’s Hubei Province. Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital was delivered on Sunday in Wuhan. It is dedicated to treating patients infected with the virus, Xinhua reported.

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Another 2,300-bed makeshift hospital would be opened on Wednesday (February 5) adjacent to it, the official media reported.

A total of 1,400 medical staff from the armed forces are tasked with treating patients in Huoshenshan Hospital starting from Monday, Xinhua reported. The medics consist of 950 people from hospitals affiliated to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Joint Logistic Support Force, and 450 from medical universities of the army, navy and air force of the PLA who were sent to Wuhan earlier.

“For a project of this scale, it usually takes at least two years,” Fang Xiang, who headed the team which built the hospital said. “It takes at least a month to construct a temporary building, not to mention a new hospital for infectious diseases,” he told Xinhua.