Chinese authorities said they identified a possible cause for an unknown viral pneumonia: a new type of coronavirus, Chinese state media reported on Jan. 9.
But they provided no updates about the possible spread of the disease and the number of patients currently admitted for the respiratory illness.
Meanwhile, the top official of Wuhan City suddenly resigned from one of his appointments, while Hong Kong and Taiwan authorities are taking extra precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
Coronaviruses are spread through coughing or sneezing or by touching an infected person. Some cause the common cold and others can lead to more severe respiratory diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Such viruses are common in people but more exotic versions from bats, camels and other animals have caused severe illness. The novel coronavirus is different from those that have previously been identified, Chinese state-run China Central Television (CCTV) said.
No other local Chinese authority has reported a case of the mysterious pneumonia, while the national disease center has kept mum.
Wuhan Update
On Jan. 8, CCTV reported that eight patients were released from Jinyintan Hospital, where all patients infected with the disease were in isolation.According to the report, these eight patients no longer showed symptoms in the past several days, so doctors made the decision that they could go back home.
Meanwhile, Chinese netizen and Wuhan resident Wen Xiaoyao posted on Weibo—a Chinese Twitter-like social media platform—that two of her family members were infected with the diseases, one in critical condition.
Soon after Wen lamented that one of her family members was facing death, her account was removed from Weibo.
The journalist also witnessed new patients being admitted in the hospital that afternoon.
The hospital has two buildings. The journalist observed that patients infected with the virus were isolated in both buildings.
Out of Mainland China
On Jan. 8, Hong Kong Hospital Authority stated that Hong Kong public hospitals had received eight more patients in the past 24 hours who visited Wuhan in the past 14 days and had pneumonia symptoms. The total suspected patients in Hong Kong reached 38.The government agency said new suspected patients—one man and seven women—were being treated at six different hospitals, and that their conditions were stable. The youngest is three years old, and the oldest is 61.
China
Chinese media has focused on Wuhan since the outbreak. On Jan. 6, the city’s Communist Party secretary—the top leader of the town—Ma Guoqiang resigned from his position as director of Wuhan’s People’s Congress, China’s rubber stamp legislature.The People’s Congress said Ma resigned due to “the needs of his work,” but didn’t further elaborate on the meaning.
In the local government’s history, all former Party secretaries also held the position of director of the local rubber-stamp legislature.
One of the most efficient ways to protect oneself from the spread of the disease is to wear a face mask, especially the surgical type.