8 pneumonia patients discharged from hospital after treatment

01:41, January 09, 2020

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  Chinese hospitals install security checkpoints amid patient-doctor tensions

  A security checkpoint at a hospital in Nanning, South Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo: Global Times)Most internet users on Chinese Twitter-like Weibo welcomed the latest policy establishing security checkpoints in the hospital, which could help ensure public security, as concerns grew after a female doctor was stabbed to death weeks ago.Nanning, capital of South Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has reportedly become the first city in China to set up security checkpoints in hospitals. The city is demanding that provincial-level hospitals install metal detector security gates, media reported on Wednesday.A hospital employee who preferred not to be named told the Global Times on Thursday that many visitors to the hospital held a favorable attitude toward the new policy, and "it only takes about 10 seconds to pass through the gates," which is not inconvenient at all.On the first day of operation, security at the Second Nanning Peoples Hospital detected a long-bladed knife and other fruit knives. Some local residents interviewed said they support this new policy and would fully cooperate for personal and hospital security.The hospital would keep the fruit knives for the visitors and give them back when they leave the hospital, and hand the knife in custody to the local police station, said the employee.A majority of internet users on Chinese Twitter-like Weibo praised the move, suggesting that it should be adopted by other cities and provinces across the country.A survey conducted on Weibo showed that 92 percent of the respondents support the security check before seeing a doctor in the hospital and suggest putting it in use nationwide. A total of 163,000 users took the survey online as of press time on Thursday.Tensions between patients and doctors have been increasing and the recent murder of a female doctor in Beijing has sparked heated discussions on violence in hospitals.Yang Wen, a doctor of the Civ...

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  Thailand patient recovering from Wuhan virus

  A woman leaves the Wuhan Medical Treatment Centre in Central Chinas Hubei Province on Sunday. (Photo: AFP)A Chinese traveler to Thailand confirmed infected with the new coronavirus, which was first discovered in Wuhan, Central Chinas Hubei Province, is recovering from the illness, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) China.The traveler from Wuhan was identified as a potential sufferer by Thai officials on January 8 and hospitalized, WHO said in an email to the Global Times on Tuesday.Laboratory testing subsequently confirmed that the novel coronavirus discovered in Wuhan was the cause, according to the email.WHO on Tuesday refuted some media reports that had seemingly cited WHO as an authority suggesting the virus can be transmitted human to human.There was no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission, the organization told the Global Times, and no infections were reported among healthcare staff."The mode(s) of transmission has not yet been determined and human-to-human transmission is always a concern when patients have respiratory symptoms," an unnamed WHO representative said in the email to the Global Times. "This requires further investigation."The possibility of cases being identified in other countries was not unexpected, WHO said in a statement on Monday, noting that they are working with officials in Thailand and China.Chinese experts have shared the whole gene sequences of the virus with WHO, which is of great importance for developing specific diagnostic kits, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.Shenzhen-listed genomics company BGI Genomics has developed nucleic acid test kits for the virus, the company said on Tuesday.Chinese experts are working on the pathogen and serum reagents, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Tuesday.Gauden Galea, WHO representative in China, highlighted Chinas quick reaction to the epidemic in an interview with CCTV."China has ident...

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  Pneumonia cases could rise in Wuhan

  Some infected are business operators at aseafood marketinWuhan. (File photo: China Daily)The number of cases of unknown viral pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei province, is expected to continue rising as expanded efforts are made to identify suspected victims, local authorities said on Monday, adding disease prevention and control measures will be improved with more knowledge of the virus.On Sunday, the Wuhan Health Commission said in a statement that the pneumonia was not Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or bird flu, and they were still working to identify the source and cause of the outbreak. There is no evidence that the disease could be transmitted among humans, it said.The commission said 59 cases had been reported as of Sunday－with the earliest case on Dec 12－and seven victims are in critical condition.All the patients are under quarantine and receiving treatment in medical institutions in the city.The commission had traced 163 people who had close contact with the patients as of Sunday and put them under medical observation. Efforts to trace others who have had close contact with the patients are ongoing, it said.A local seafood market, where some of the patients worked, was closed by local authorities on Jan 1.In a statement released on Monday by Wuhan Internet Information Office, Li Gang, head of the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said health authorities in Wuhan have been searching for suspected cases in all medical institutions in the city since the first cases were reported last month.Expansion of the search is the major cause for the increased number of cases, he said, adding more cases could be reported.The patients display symptoms such as fever and fatigue, and some display cough and have difficulty breathing, he said.Although no evidence has been found to prove the virus could be transmitted between humans, the source of the virus has yet to be determined, so strict quarantine measures a...