The Philippines yesterday reported the first death from the 2019 novel coronavirus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allows only one family member to venture out to buy supplies.
The Philippine Department of Health said a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan was admitted to hospital on Jan. 25 after experiencing a fever, cough and sore throat.
He developed severe pneumonia and in his last few days, “the patient was stable and showed signs of improvement, however, the condition of the patient deteriorated within his last 24 hours.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
The man’s 38-year-old female companion, also from Wuhan, also tested positive for the virus and remains in hospital.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte approved a temporary ban on all travelers, except Filipinos, from China and its autonomous regions.
Three Philippine airlines had on Saturday canceled flights to China.
The death toll in China yesterday climbed by 45 to 304 and the number of cases by 2,590 to 14,380, according to the Chinese National Health Commission.
Six officials in the city of Huanggang, neighboring the epicenter of Wuhan in Hubei Province, have been fired over “poor performance” in handling the outbreak, Xinhua news agency reported.
The trading center of Wenzhou in coastal Zhejiang Province also confined people to homes, allowing only one family member to venture out every other day to buy necessary supplies.
All Hubei schools are to postpone the opening of the new semester until further notice and students from elsewhere who visited over the holiday would also be excused from classes.
Wenzhou put off the opening of government offices until Sunday, private businesses until Feb. 17 and schools until March 1.
Similar measures have been announced in the provinces and cities of Heilongjiang, Shandong, Guizhou, Hebei and Hunan, while the major cities of Shanghai and Beijing were on indefinite leave pending developments.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army was given control of a nearly finished field hospital that would treat patients in Wuhan.
Among a growing number of airlines suspending flights to China was Qatar Airways.
Indonesia and Oman also halted flights to China, as did Saudi Arabia’s flagship national carrier, Saudia.
Indonesia also barred entry to visitors who have been in China in the past 14 days.
South Korea barred foreigners who have stayed in or traveled to Hubei Province within the past 14 days from entering the country.
The Iraqi Ministry of the Interior yesterday banned entry of all foreign visitors coming from China.
Vietnam counted its seventh case, a Vietnamese-American man who had a two-hour layover in Wuhan on his way from the US to Ho Chi Minh City.
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