EpidemicsChina's COVID-19 Death Toll Tops 2,000; Iran Reports First Cases
China’s death toll in its COVID-19 outbreak passed 2,000 today, as Iran reported its first two cases—both fatal—and the number of local cases grew in Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. Also, 79 more people from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan tested positive for the virus, with quarantine ending for many of those were not infected, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel watch for Hong Kong.
China’s death toll in its COVID-19 outbreak passed 2,000 today, as Iran reported its first two cases—both fatal—and the number of local cases grew in Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.
Also, 79 more people from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan tested positive for the virus, with quarantine ending for many of those were not infected, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel watch for Hong Kong.
China Deaths Reach 2,004 as Case Definition Changes
China’s National Health Commission today reported 1,739 new cases, down from the 1,886 new infections reported yesterday. The country’s overall outbreak total stands at 74,185. It reported 136 more deaths lifting the outbreak’s fatality count to 2,004. And health officials added 236 new serious cases, raising that total to 11,977.
CIDRAP reports that an international joint mission led by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its fourth day of meetings in the country, where the experts are meeting with Chinese officials to learn more about the outbreak and to offer their assistance.
In other outbreak developments, China changed its COVID-19 case definition again, and instead of counting clinically diagnosed cases as confirmed infections, it will classify them as suspected cases, according to a government statement.
Iran Cases Both Fatal
Earlier today, Iran’s health ministry today reported the country’s first two COVID-19 cases, which it said were preliminary positives that were undergoing further testing. It said the cases were detected in Qom, a holy city with a population of about 1.3 million located about 78 miles south of Tehran.
Then later today, media reports, citing Iran’s health ministry, said the two patients died from the disease. Few details were available about the patients, other than that they were both elderly and had acute lung infections, Al Jazeera reported.
Iran is the third country in the Middle East to report COVID-19 cases and the first in the region to report fatal cases. The United Arab Emirates and Egypt are other countries that have reported cases.
Japan, Singapore, South Korea Cases Rise
Japan’s health ministry today reported seven new cases, one of them asymptomatic, raising the country’s total to 73. Three cases, including the asymptomatic one, are from Wakayama prefecture, three are from Tokyo, and one is from Aichi prefecture.
