Death Toll from COVID-19 Has Reached Over 2,000; Hubei to Ramp Up Efforts to Detect New Cases

The Covid-19 situation in China has exceeded Sars in terms of severity for quite a while now.

Current Covid-19 Situation in China

Back in 2003, Sars killed 774 people worldwide and infected 8,096.

Meanwhile, in China, the number of Covid-19 cases currently stands at 74,000 with 2,004 deaths.

Three-quarters of the deaths came from Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei. The head doctor of a leading hospital in Wuhan has also succumbed to the disease.

Singapore, which is the most infected country outside of China, now has 81 confirmed cases.

Number of New Cases Falling

While the situation sounds really bad right now, there is some improvement in the situation.

The China Health Commission reported 1,749 new confirmed cases in their daily update, the lowest daily increase since 29 Jan 2020.

Meanwhile, the increase in coronavirus infection cases in the Hubei province was also the lowest since 11 Feb 2020.

Chinese officials say that this shows that the flu-like virus is being brought under control but experts say it’s still too early to predict.

Hubei To Ramp Up Efforts On Detection

To help contain the epidemic, the authorities in Hubei is going to take more “forceful” measures on top of isolating the province from the rest of China.

They will be looking over all the records of all patients who have seen a doctor for fever since 20 Jan 2020.

They will also be checking on people who went to pharmacies and drug stores to buy over-the-counter cough and fever medications.

China In The Right Direction

While some have accused China of being “overly-excessive” in their measures against Covid-19, the World Health Organisation (WHO) affirmed China’s decisions as the “correct one”.

WHO lauded China, saying that they’ve had “success putting out the fire first in Hubei”, and monitoring people returning to Beijing from the Chinese New Year holidays.

The number of new cases, excluding Hubei, has fallen to 56 on 18 Feb, down from 890 on 3 Feb 2020.

Meanwhile, there are some who says that the Covid-19 virus might magically disappear in May, just like Sars.

But whichever it is, remember to wash your hands frequently with soap and bookmark MOH’s website for daily updates.