China scrambles to contain 'strengthening' virus

[BEIJING] The ability of the new coronavirus to spread is strengthening and infections could continue to rise, China's National Health Commission said on Sunday, with nearly 2,000 people in China infected and 56 killed by the disease.

Singapore reported its fourth case of the Wuhan virus, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement early Sunday.

The latest case is a 36-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan who arrived in Singapore with his family on Wednesday, the ministry said.

A handful of cases have been reported outside China, including Thailand, Australia, the United States, Canada, France, Vietnam, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan and Nepal with health authorities around the world racing to prevent a pandemic.

The newly-identified coronavirus has created alarm because there are still many unknowns surrounding it, such as how dangerous it is and how easily it spreads between people. It can cause pneumonia, which has been deadly in some cases.

China's National Health Commission Minister Ma Xiaowei said the incubation period for the virus can range from one to 14 days, and the virus is infectious during incubation, which was not the case with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

SARS was a coronavirus that originated in China and killed nearly 800 people globally in 2002 and 2003.

"According to recent clinical information, the virus's ability to spread seems to be getting somewhat stronger," Mr Ma told a packed media briefing on the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday, adding that knowledge of the virus was limited.

Containment efforts, which have thus far included transportation and travel curbs and the cancellation of big events, will be intensified, Mr Ma said.

The virus, believed to have originated late last year in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife, has spread to cities including Beijing and Shanghai. Hong Kong has six confirmed cases.

President Xi Jinping said during a politburo meeting on Saturday that China was facing a "grave situation".

On Sunday, China announced a temporary nationwide ban on the sale of wildlife in markets, restaurants, and e-commerce platforms. Wild and often poached animals packed together in Chinese markets are blamed as incubators for viruses to evolve and jump the species barrier to humans.

Snakes, peacocks, crocodiles and other species can also be found for sale via Taobao, an e-commerce website run by Alibaba.

The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society called on China to make the ban permanent.

The World Health Organisation this week stopped short of calling the outbreak a global health emergency, but some health experts question whether China can continue to contain the epidemic.

On Sunday, China confirmed 1,975 cases of patients infected with the new coronavirus as of Jan. 25, while the death toll from the virus has risen to 56, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

No fatalities have been reported outside China.

The outbreak has prompted widening curbs on movements within China, with Wuhan, a city of 11 million, on virtual lockdown, with transports links all-but severed except for emergency vehicles.

REUTERS