A sudden increase in coronavirus cases; 15,000 people in one day
The death toll from the coronavirus respiratory disease, COVID-19, in China rose by 242 in a single day to 1,350. Registered cases of the disease also increased by nearly 15,000 in a single day, surpassing 59,000.
Chinese government officials have reported in recent days that the pace of the coronavirus outbreak is slowing. The number of new cases has dropped to less than 3,000 per day. Now, a report has been released by the country's authorities indicating a sharp increase in the number of victims and cases of the coronavirus.
Wednesday, February 12, was the deadliest day since the outbreak of the coronavirus respiratory disease in Hubei province and the city of Wuhan. In just one day, 242 people were reported to have died from the disease.
The same report indicates that the number of registered cases of the disease has increased by 14,840 in one day. Thus, the number of people infected with the coronavirus disease, or Covid-19, has exceeded 59,000.
New figures on coronavirus cases have been released by Chinese state television. The World Health Organization has warned against optimistic predictions about the control and containment of the disease, following the sharp increase in the number of coronavirus cases.
The Hubei Provincial Health Commission has announced that the criteria for diagnosing the coronavirus have been revised and supplemented, resulting in an increase in the number of registered cases. However, the provincial health commission has not announced what criteria the examinations were based on so far and what the changes include.
It is worth noting that medical experts and the World Health Organization had criticized China's approach to recording coronavirus cases.
Dismissal of the head of the Communist Party Office in Hubei
Jiang Shaoliang, the leader of the Communist Party of Hubei Province, has been removed from his post due to the increasing number of coronavirus cases in Hubei Province.
Former Shanghai mayor Ying Yong is said to have taken over as head of the Communist Party office in the province. The move to the Hubei Provincial Communist Party Office was announced by China's official news agency Xinhua.
Speculation about the extent of the coronavirus outbreak suggests that the number of unreported cases in China is higher than the government figures show. One reason for such speculation is the lack of testing facilities for suspected cases of the new virus.
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus outside China has also surpassed 500. 16 people in Germany have also been infected.
Due to the possibility of further spread of the coronavirus worldwide, two major events have been canceled on Wednesday, February 12.
Organizers of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona have announced the cancellation of the conference, which was scheduled to take place in late February.
On the other hand, it has been announced that the Formula One car racing competition that was scheduled to be held in Shanghai has also been canceled by the authorities.
Source: DW
