COVID-19 epidemic February 20: North Korea increases the quarantine period for people at risk to 30 days

The number of new infections in Hubei province decreased to 349 from 1,693 cases the day before. The number of deaths also decreased to 108. Meanwhile, 2 infected passengers aboard Diamond Princess are reported dead.

The National Health Commission of China (NHC) confirmed that the number of new infections nationwide was 394 as of February 19, down sharply from 1,749 cases on February 18. The number of deaths was 114, down from 136 the previous day.

The total number of infections nationwide was 74,576 and the total number of deaths was 2,118 by the end of 19-2.

North Korea extended the quarantine period to 30 days

On February 20, the Korean Ambassador to Geneva (Switzerland) Han Tae-song announced that North Korea prolongs the quarantine period of people at risk of COVID-19 infection to 30 days. He also confirmed that he has not discovered any cases of infection in North Korea.

"I was told that we have extended the quarantine period to 30 days because according to the scientific results, the new strain corona virus can break out after 14 days," the diplomat said.

Hubei reduced 279 patients, the number of cases in Wuhan ... higher than the province

Data published by the Health Committee of Hubei on the morning of February 20 showed that the number of new infections in this province on February 19 fell to the lowest level since early February.

Accordingly, by the end of February 19, the whole Hubei epidemic region recorded only 349 new cases of corona virus infection (SARS-CoV-2), down from 1,693 cases of February 18. The number of deaths also dropped to 108 from 132 on February 18, of which Wuhan City accounted for 88 cases.

Also according to Hubei Medical Committee, an additional 1,209 patients with acute respiratory infections caused by the new strain of the corona virus (COVID-19) were discharged on February 19, bringing the total number of people recovered to 10,337. .

Currently, there are still 43,745 cases being treated in hospitals, including 9,128 cases of serious illness and 2,050 cases of special seriousness.

According to Reuters, the number of 349 people infected is the result of the Hubei Health Commission excluding 279 cases in 10 cities of the province. The agency did not give a reason for this.

If these cases are taken into account, the number of new cases in Hubei would be 628, which is still reasonable because according to data released by the Hubei Health Commission, the number of cases in the center of Wuhan is 615.

However, because 279 cases have been subtracted, the number of cases in Wuhan - the capital of Hubei province - is higher than in the whole province.

The number of infections in Korea has increased dramatically

Yonhap news agency on February 20, citing sources from health officials, said that Korea has just recorded 31 new cases. This is the strongest increase in Korea since the beginning of the epidemic, bringing the total number of infected people in this country to 82.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the majority of new infections are in Daegu city, with 30 cases, of which 23 are believed to have been related to the woman 61. Age was confirmed infected with COVID-19 on 18-2. KCDC said the patient has been in contact with 166 people and they are all quarantining themselves.

In other developments, the newly appointed Korean Consulate General arrived in Wuhan in the early morning of February 20. While a number of diplomats from other countries have left the center of Wuhan, Kang Seung Seo's arrival in Wuhan city has caught the attention.

An additional 600 guests are allowed to leave the Diamond Princess cruise

According to Reuters, a group of 600 tourists will be allowed to leave the Diamond Princess cruise ship on February 20.

Yesterday, February 19, a group of 500 guests were allowed ashore after two weeks of isolation. More than 150 Australian tourists in the first group returned safely on February 20. These people will have to go through an additional 14 days of isolation. Another group of 114 Chinese tourists also landed in Hong Kong on the morning of February 20.

Diamond Princess yacht was isolated when she arrived in Japan on February 3 because a passenger who had been on board was found to be infected with SARS-CoV-2. After two weeks of isolation from the mainland, the total number of infections on board soared to more than 620 on February 19.

A bus carrying passengers leaving the Diamond Princess yacht in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, February 20 - Photo: REUTERS

The only African SARS-CoV-2 positive returned negative

A foreigner reported to be the first case of COVID-19 infection by Egypt and Africa on February 19 has been confirmed as completely negative for this deadly virus. Thus up to the present time, Africa is the only continent without patients infected with COVID-19.

G20: COVID-19 is a risk to global growth

Reuters news agency on 20-2 had draft a joint statement of financial officials of the G20 group. In particular, the G20 predicts modest global growth in 2020 and sees COVID-19 as an adverse risk to this.

“After showing signs of stabilization towards the end of 2019, global economic growth is expected to slightly increase in 2020 and 2021. However, global economic growth remains slow and risks decrease to this outlook. remain, including the effects arising from the COVID-19 epidemic, geopolitical tensions and policy uncertainty ”.

The G20 finance ministers and central bank governors will meet this weekend in Saudi Arabia, where they will pass a draft joint statement with the above, Reuters said.

Preliminary study: COVID-19 spreads as quickly as a common cold

A preliminary study by Chinese scientists published in the New England Medical Journal on February 19 showed that COVID-19 spreads faster than SARS and spreads at the rate of the common cold. This research still needs validation from experts, but according to Dr. Gregory Poland, a virus researcher in the US, it would be very worrying if this is true.

Scientists in Guangdong monitored the condition of 18 patients. They found that the new strain corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) present in the nose and throat as much as the common colds. The viral load is especially strong after the onset of symptoms. SARS-CoV-2 was present in both the upper and lower respiratory tract of the patient while the SARS virus appeared only and caused deep infection of the lower respiratory tract.

Source: tuoitre.vn