WEB DESK
Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that it’s extremely crucial to take every possible measure to combat a new coronavirus that has infected more than 200 people in the country.
The President’s remarks came the same day that the country reported a sharp rise in the number of people infected by the novel form of viral pneumonia, including the first cases in the capital. The outbreak comes as the country enters its busiest travel period when millions of board trains and planes for the Lunar New Year holidays.
Health authorities in the central city of Wuhan, said an additional 136 cases have been confirmed in the city, which now has a total of 198 infected patients. As of the weekend, a third patient had died, bringing the death toll to three.
Authorities in Thailand and in Japan have already identified at least three cases, all involving recent travel from China. At least a half-dozen countries in Asia and three US airports have started screening incoming airline passengers from central China.