Schools, businesses and restaurant were closed in a dozen northern Italian towns Saturday following reports of two deaths tied to an outbreak of the coronavirus in the region. A female resident in the Lombardy region died only hours after a 77-year-old man succumbed near Padua, in the Veneto region, the ANSA news agency reported, citing health care sources. Italy reports a total of 62 cases, many of them representing the first infections in the country via secondary contagion, that is, not directly from a visitor to China.
A 29-year-old doctor from Wuhan, China, who postponed his formal wedding ceremony to treat patients of the coronavirus, has died of the illness, according to the Chinese media. Peng Yinhua, a respiratory acute care medical professional, died Thursday night, the Xinhua news agency reported, quoting the local health bureau. Peng became infected while working at the First People’s Hospital of Jiangxia District of Wuhan. He was hospitalized Jan. 25 and transferred to Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital for treatment on Jan. 30, Xinua said.
As health officials ask thousands to quarantine across the United States, a respected statistician is going public with dire claims that COVID-19 data doesn’t look right at all. The American quarantines come as deadly coronavirus outbreaks have been reported in several other nations. In California, where diseases already have an easy time moving around cities thanks to unsanitary conditions and a large homeless population, more than 5,400 people have been asked by the state health department to quarantine themselves. In Washington state, over 700 are being monitored for possible coronavirus infections. Read more Disaster Relief Supplies news in the news section of the health supplies online store.
The 80-year-old Chinese tourist from the province of Hubei arrived in France on Jan. 16 and was later isolated and hospitalized on Jan. 25, Fox News reported. Officials say the man’s condition quickly deteriorated and he died on Friday. His daughter was hospitalized as well but she is expected to recover. There are currently at least 46 cases of coronavirus in Europe. Germany has the most reported cases, with 16 people infected. Worldwide, there were 67,192 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,527 fatalities, as of Saturday morning. The vast majority of the fatalities have taken place in China.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported that at least 35 people in the United States are infected with the virus. Of those, 14 were travelers who fell ill after returning from a trip abroad, while 21 were were people “repatriated” by the State Department.
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said Friday that more infections are expected from among passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship and are in quarantine.