Virus death toll nears 1,400 in China, with 5,090 new cases

Virus death toll nears 1,400 in China, with 5,090 new cases

February 14, 2020   09:25 am

China on Friday reported another sharp rise in the number of people infected with a new virus, as the death toll neared 1,400.

The National Health Commission said 121 more people had died and there were 5,090 new confirmed cases.

The number of reported cases has been rising more quickly after the hardest-hit province changed its method of counting them Thursday. There are now 63,851 confirmed cases in mainland China, of which 1,380 have died.

Hubei province is now including cases based on a physician’s diagnosis and before they have been confirmed by lab tests. Of the 5,090 new cases, 3,095 fell into that category.

The acceleration in the number of cases does not necessarily represent a sudden surge in new infections of the virus that causes COVID-19 as much as a revised methodology.

China’s health commission has said that the change was aimed at identifying suspected cases in which the patient has pneumonia so they can be treated more quickly and reduce the likelihood of more serious illness or death. It was also seen as a reflection of a chaotic crush of people seeking treatment and the struggle to keep up with a backlog of untested samples.

“Clearly in Wuhan, the health system is under extreme pressure and so the first priority has to be the patient,” said Mark Woolhouse, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh.

Source: Associated Press

Disclaimer: All the comments will be moderated by the AD editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or slanderous. Please avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment and avoid typing all capitalized comments. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by flagging them(mouse over a comment and click the flag icon on the right side). Do use these forums to voice your opinions and create healthy discourse.

Most Viewed Video Stories

Immigration Controller General pleads guilty to contempt of court charge (English)

Immigration Controller General pleads guilty to contempt of court charge (English)

Seat belts mandatory for passengers of all vehicles on expressways from September (English)

Fuel prices increased (English)

Former Minister Gamini Lokuge passes away (English)

Public react to increase in fuel prices and 0.55% reduction in bus fares

LIVE🔴 Ada Derana Prime Time News Bulletin 6.55 pm

LIVE🔴 Ada Derana Lunch Time News Bulletin 12.00 pm

True measure of nation's progress lies in spiritual development of it's people - President (English)