China says coronavirus outbreak has not yet peaked
The latest:
- China says crisis hasn’t peaked, situation in Hubei province ‘remains severe and complex.’
- Iran confirms 13 more cases of COVID-19 and 2 more deaths, for a total of 18 cases and 4 deaths.
- South Korea declares health emergency in its 4th-largest city amid concern about new cases.
- Canadian charter flight with Diamond Princess passengers who were cleared after 2-week quarantine lands at CFB Trenton, head to Cornwall, Ont., for 2nd quarantine.
- B.C. health officials report 6th presumptive case in province.
- WATCH: Experts are starting to identify patterns of how the coronavirus is spread.
The coronavirus outbreak in China has not yet reached its peak, state television quoted a top decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party as saying on Friday.
«A turning point in the development of the national epidemic situation has not yet arrived,» concluded the meeting, chaired by President Xi Jinping, according to state television.
«The epidemic prevention and control situation in Hubei province and Wuhan city remains severe and complex.»
The ruling Communist Party and the government should not relax but «unceasingly consolidate achievements and extend combat successes,» it said.
China has portrayed its efforts to control the virus, which has killed more than 2,200 and infected more than 75,000, as a war of containment.
Hubei revised the number of new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections upward to 631 on Friday, after including cases in the province’s prison systems.
All-out efforts should be made in Beijing’s epidemic control work, it said. The number of cases of coronavirus in the capital has jumped sharply while many other parts of the country beyond Hubei are reporting fewer or no new infections.
The impact of the coronavirus outbreak on China’s economy is obvious, but the economy’s long-term improving momentum will not change, the meeting said. Fiscal policy in China will be more proactive, monetary policy will be more flexible and the government will fend off systemic financial risks, it added.
Iran and South Korea report additional cases
Iran confirmed 13 new coronavirus cases and two deaths among the group of new cases, Health Ministry spokesperson Kianush Jahanpur said in a tweet on Friday.
The new cases comprised seven people diagnosed in Qom, four in Tehran and two in Gilan, Jahanpur said in the tweet.
The total number of cases in Iran now stands at 18, with four of those people having died.
In South Korea, the government banned major rallies in its capital and declared a health emergency in its fourth-largest city as 100 new virus cases were reported Friday, bringing the country’s total to 204.
Prime Minister Chung Se-kyun said in a televised statement the central government will concentrate its support to the southeastern region to ease a shortage in sickbeds, medical personnel and equipment.
«A month into the outbreak, we have entered an emergency phase,» Chung said. «Our efforts until now had been focused on blocking the illness from entering the country. But we will now shift the focus on preventing the illness from spreading further in local communities.»
The spike forced officials to focus on steps to contain the domestic spread of the disease, not just its entry from abroad.
Most of the new cases have been reported since Wednesday. The increase, especially in and around Daegu city in the southeast, has raised fears the outbreak is overwhelming the region’s medical system. Many of the cases have been linked to a church in the city.
WATCH: Infectious disease experts are starting to identify patterns of the disease’s spread
