CHINA: Is China hiding how bad the coronavirus is?
- A clip believed to be taken in Changqing Garden, Wuhan, shows a man sprinting away from a group of officials
- Some officials appear to be carrying large metal sticks as they run after him along nearly-deserted streets
- On Saturday officials confirmed 722 coronavirus deaths in mainland China, bringing worldwide total to 724
- Also revealed five more Britons, including a child, have virus in France after one of them went to Singapore
- Another clip, said to be taken in Suzhou, shows suspected coronavirus sufferers dragged from their homes
- Officials in protective suits and face masks are seen walking two of the people out while holding their arms
- A third man then resists by kicking out and it takes three officials to pick him up and forcefully remove him
Military preparing quarantine centers for coronavirus patients in US, Pentagon says
Eleven military bases near major airports in the United States are setting up quarantine centers for possible coronavirus patients, the Department of Defense said.
The Department of Health and Human Services asked the Pentagon for quarantine space in case beds fill up at other coronavirus centers around the country, according to a DOD statement.
The Pentagon already agreed to house up to 1,000 people for quarantine after they returned to the United States from areas with the virus, the Associated Press reports.
THIS ISN’T GOOD: New Report on 138 Coronavirus Cases Reveals Disturbing Details: A highly contagious patient, virus transmission inside a hospital and unexpected turns for the worse have emerged as part of the epidemic in China. “The incident was a chilling reminder of the ‘super-spreaders’ in outbreaks of other coronavirus diseases, SARS and MERS — patients who infected huge numbers of other people, sometimes dozens. The phenomenon is poorly understood and unpredictable, an epidemiologist’s nightmare. Super-spreaders led to considerable transmission of MERS and SARS inside hospitals.”
Plus: “Another cause for concern was that some patients who at first appeared mildly or moderately ill then took a turn for the worse several days or even a week into their illness. The median time from their first symptoms to when they became short of breath was five days; to hospitalization, seven days; and to severe breathing trouble, eight days. Experts say that pattern means patients must be carefully monitored, and it is not safe to assume that someone who seems to be doing well early on is out of the woods.”
Also: “For this series of patients, the death rate was 4.3 percent, which is higher than the estimates coming from other parts of China. The reason is not known, and the figures may change as more information is gathered.”
And it’s not just old or sick people: “It can take a young, healthy person and make them sick.”
Here’s the JAMA Article.
WELL, THIS ISN’T PROMISING: Chinese cities fight for mask shipments in scramble to stop coronavirus. “Local government is turning against local government over mask supplies in China as authorities scramble for resources to contain a coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 630 people throughout the country. The health chief of Dali in the southwestern province of Yunnan was sacked after the city commandeered about 600 boxes of masks destined for the megacity of Chongqing on their way through Dali from Vietnam, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday.”
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: Five Britons contract coronavirus in French ski resort. “Five British nationals on a ski trip have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus at a mountain resort in France, after staying in the same chalet with a person who had been in Singapore, French health officials said on Saturday.”
Apple Contractor Tells Employees To Stay Home As Coronavirus Cases Nearly Triple.
Hundreds of Miles from Hubei, Another 30 Million Chinese Are in Coronavirus Lockdown. “More than 500 miles from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, 30 million people are in lockdown — some quite literally locked in their homes — as Chinese authorities resort to extreme lengths to curb the spread of a respiratory illness that has stubbornly defied containment. Across the coastal province of Zhejiang, the worst-hit area after Hubei province, four big cities have essentially put their populations under a form of house arrest: Only one person from each household is allowed to leave, and only every second day, to buy supplies.”
First American Citizen Dies of Coronavirus.
Royal Caribbean Delays NJ Cruise Ship Departure Over Coronavirus Fears; 4 Evaluated.
Coronavirus: Singapore mounts second evacuation flight from Wuhan.
Novel coronavirus can transmit via aerosol: expert.
Coronavirus: 722 dead, 34,546 people have been infected in latest update.
Megacities put up coronavirus entry barriers as China goes back to work.
Thailand reports 7 new coronavirus cases.
h/t GR