China quarantines whole cities to control coronavirus
Fox News medical correspondent Dr. Marc Siegel on fears the virus could spread to America.
The death toll from the coronavirus that began in China and has since spread to several other countries, including the United States, rose to 41 while the number of confirmed cases in China increased to over 1,200, authorities said Saturday.
The uptick comes as China expands its unprecedented lockdown of 39 million people to contain the reach of the pneumonia-like virus.
Cases have been reported in 29 Chinese provinces, with 572 cases alone coming out of Wuhan, where the outbreak began, the South China Morning Post reported. Hubei, the province where Wuhan is located, saw 39 deaths as a result of infection, according to data released by local governments.
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Chinese officials have scrambled to contain the virus, also known as 2019-nCoV. A 1,000-bed hospital was being constructed on the outskirts of Wuhan as other facilities in the area became overwhelmed while trying to treat hundreds of cases. It is expected to be completed Feb. 3, officials said.
In an effort to curbed the disease, officials have shut down all air, road, ferry and train traffic to and from the city. A notice from a gas station in Chibi, a city next to Wuhan, said local officials ordered them not serve customers with Wuhan license plates.
The city was granted a $288 million emergency loan from the China Development Bank to assist with virus prevention and treatment, the paper reported.
More than 20 hospitals in the city have posted statements asking for supplies such as latex gloves, protective goggles, surgical gowns and other medical gear to help deal with the thousands seeking screening for the disease, which can be transferred between people.
Videos circulating online showed throngs of frantic people in masks lined up for examinations, and some complained that family members had been turned away at hospitals that were at capacity.
Meanwhile, a second person tested positive for the virus in the U.S. An Illinois woman in her 60s had recently traveled to Wuhan and arrived back home on Jan. 13. She reported possible symptoms a few days later and was admitted to a hospital.
A man in his 30s who was the first confirmed case in the U.S. He is in stable condition at the Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Wash.
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As of Friday, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, the U.S. and Vietnam had all confirmed coronavirus cases. On Friday. Australia announced its first case, a Chinese man in his 50s who returned from China last week.
The outbreak has led to a somber Lunar New Year, China's most celebrated holiday. Many public events in Beijing and other cities have been canceled. Temples and popular tourist attractions, like Beijing’s Forbidden City and Shanghai Disneyland, have also shut their doors.
Fox News' Alexandria Hein and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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