A man died of the coronavirus in the Philippines in the first reported death outside China as the number of people infected worldwide surpassed 14,000.
THE Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS), a government- affiliated think tank, has called for joint action by the international society to control the novel coronavirus outbreak.
China has been striving to undertake its due international responsibilities and obligations in countering the epidemic which will inevitably have global impacts, SIIS said in a report released Saturday.
The Chinese government is working closely with the World Health Organization on every step of the epidemic control.
For the common security, the SIIS called for international media and think tanks to maintain an objective, comprehensive and humane stance in conducting reports or analysis of the epidemic and avoid hyping unconfirmed information or even rumors, as China continues to optimize the existing epidemic information disclosure mechanisms.
New Chinese city locked down
China imposed a lockdown Sunday on a major city far from the epicentre of a coronavirus epidemic, as its death toll from the disease soared to 304 and the first fatality outside the country was reported in the Philippines.
Struggling to contain the virus, authorities virtually shut down the eastern city of Wenzhou on Sunday -- some 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Wuhan, the metropolis at the heart of the health emergency -- closing roads and confining people to their homes.
Since emerging out of Wuhan late last year, the coronavirus has infected nearly 14,500 people across China and reached 24 countries.
Most of the infections overseas have been in people who had travelled from Wuhan, an industrial hub of 11 million people, or surrounding areas of Hubei province.
The man who died in the Philippines was a 44-year-old from Wuhan, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the epidemic a global health emergency.
The number of countries reporting infections rose to 24 after Britain, Russia and Sweden confirmed their first cases this weekend.
The death toll in China climbed to 304 on Sunday after authorities reported 45 new deaths.
There were 2,590 new confirmed cases in China, bringing the total to nearly 14,500. Chinese authorities stress greater medical supplies support Chinese authorities on Sunday stressed providing greater medical supplies support to central China’s Hubei Province, particularly the key regions — the city of Wuhan and its surrounding areas — to help curb the epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus.
Authorities in some provinces were urged to flexibly arrange their work for the epidemic battle and step up efforts to prevent and control the novel coronavirus outbreak and ensure market supply.
REFERENCES
AFP; Xinhua News Updates
