The deadly respiratory virus commonly referred to as the Wuhan coronavirus continues to spread with Chinese authorities confirming a new spike in the number of cases and deaths.
China’s National Health Commission said there has been more than 8,000 new cases of coronavirus in the past two days. The death toll has also risen to 565, with all but two deaths occurring on mainland China. The Philippines and Hong Kong have each reported one death due to coronavirus.
The global number of confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 28,000 on Thursday morning with 25 countries affected.
A cruise liner quarantined for two weeks off the coast of Yokohama, Japan, said there are at least 20 cases of the coronavirus aboard the ship carrying 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew members. The Diamond Princess cruise ship is still awaiting results on 170 others who are being tested for the virus after coming into close contact with an 80-year-old passenger from Hong Kong who was the first person to report coronavirus symptoms.
Meanwhile, governments around the world are weighing actions to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like virus, with many countries evacuating their citizens and imposing strict travel restrictions on mainland China.
Medical workers in Hong Kong have gone on strike, with 7,000 health workers walking off the job this week to demand the government close the border with China as the number of confirmed cases in the city climbed to 21.
There have been five diagnosed cases of the coronavirus in the UAE, confirmed in tourists from China who visited the UAE during the Chinese New Year holiday. All five individuals were quarantined and are said to be in stable condition.
China scrambles for beds
China scrambled to find bed space for thousands of newly infected patients on Thursday. The locked-down city of Wuhan was due to open a second field hospital, offering 1,600 beds.
The first hospital, with 1,000 beds, opened earlier this week, and authorities said they were converting public buildings into jury-rigged medical facilities to deal with the influx of sick people.
The city of 11 million is facing a "severe" lack of beds, said Hu Lishan, a senior official in Wuhan, noting that there were 8,182 patients admitted to 28 hospitals that have a total of 8,254 beds.
There is also a shortage of equipment and materials, said Mr Hu.
The central government announced measures intended to ensure the supply of vital medical resources, with tax breaks for manufacturers of equipment needed to fight the epidemic.
"We must make all-out efforts across the country to meet the need for essential medical supplies and medical professionals in Hubei Province," Premier Li Keqiang said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
