As of February 5. Tianjin has confirmed 3 more cases of coronavirus-related pneumonia, total 69 cases.
Case 68th, female, 64 years old, lives in Baodi District, Tianjin. On the afternoon of January 20, she went shopping in the clothing area on the first floor of the Department Store in Baodi District without wearing a mask.
The 69th, female, 76 years old, lives in Baodi District, Tianjin. This patient has not been to the Baodi Department Store and is a relative of the 53rd case.
Up to now, Tianjin has reported a total of 69 confirmed cases of coronavirus-related pneumonia, including 37 males and 32 females; 4 critically ill, 19 severe, 43 normal, 2 cured and 1 dead. 198 suspected cases. A total of 523 close contacts were investigated, of which 21 were diagnosed, 45 were released from medical observation, and 457 were receiving medical observation.
The Wuhan coronavirus continues its spread across Asia and the world. Countries have implemented various emergency measures and travel restrictions, as researchers continue working toward a treatment.
The numbers: The Wuhan novel coronavirus has killed 492 people and infected more than 24,500 people worldwide. The vast majority of those are within China and concentrated in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak. Only two deaths have been outside of mainland China: one in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong.
Rising death toll: The number of reported deaths in China has been jumping rapidly. It topped 100 on January 28, passed 200 by January 31, overtook 300 on February 1, and topped 492 yesterday.
Recoveries: There have also been reports of recovering patients. There are more recoveries day by day. For first time, suspected cases are lower than confirmed cases.
Global response: Countries are continuing to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan, and place travel restrictions on travelers from China. Some of these measures - specifically from the US - have sparked anger from Beijing.
Cruise ship quarantine: In Japan, a cruise ship with more than 3,700 people on board is quarantined in the port of Yokohama after a former passenger was found infected a few days earlier. Quarantine officials are now testing passengers, and have confirmed 10 cases on board.
Britain and France urged citizens to evacuate
Britain and France intensified warnings to their citizens in China on Tuesday, urging all who could do so to vacate the mainland to minimize the risk of infection.
“If you’re in China and able to leave, you should do so,” Britain’s Foreign Office said in an updated travel advisory.
The Foreign Office also advised “against all travel” to Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, and “against all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China.” It made exceptions for Hong Kong and Macau.
“Where there are still British nationals in Hubei Province who wish to be evacuated, we will continue to work around the clock to facilitate this,” said Britain’s foreign secretary, Dominic Raab.
France’s Foreign Ministry issued a similar warning. “As a precaution,” the warning said, “it is recommended that the French, in particular families, who have no essential reason to stay in China, move away temporarily from the country.”
Ten people on cruise ship near Tokyo have virus
Ten people on the Diamond Princess cruise ship moored in Yokohama Bay have been confirmed as having the Wuhan coronavirus, according to Japanese Health Ministry.
The 10 confirmed cases were from tests of 31 people. More than 100 samples are still awaiting test results. Passengers and crew, about 3,700 people, remain on the ship.
Hangzhou and Taizhou, implement travel restrictions
Taizhou - 850km from the epicentre in Hubei province - will also suspend 95 train services into the city from Tuesday (Feb 4). In addition, all residential communities must only keep one entrance open and residents must present ID each time they come in and out.
Landlords were also forbidden from renting property to people from "severely affected areas such as Hubei" if they had travelled to their hometowns recently, it added.
In the Hangzhou districts, additional measures included mandatory mask wearing and compulsory ID and temperature checks. On Monday, Hangzhou's Yuhang district also said it would suspend buses, taxis, shuttle buses, and airport lines until further notice.
Ningbo closed the entrances of nine highways last Wednesday. The latest restrictions follow similar measures announced on Sunday in Wenzhou, which has a population of 9 million people.
Zhejiang province has the highest number outside Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak and where more than 50 million people are under lockdown. Other provinces have restricted travel to try to stop the virus spreading, with several - including Guangdong and Sichuan - making it compulsory to wear masks in public.