First coronavirus death outside China as man, 44, dies in Philippines after travelling from Wuhan
A 44-YEAR-OLD man has died from coronavirus in the Philippines in the first fatality from the virus outside of China.
The patient from Wuhan city in central Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, had died in a Manila hospital after developing severe pneumonia.
It was the first death out of more than 130 cases reported in around two dozen other countries and regions outside of mainland China.
The man who died was a companion of a 38-year-old Chinese woman, also from Wuhan, who was the first and only other person to test positive for the virus in the Philippines. Both patients arrived in the Philippines via Hong Kong on January 21.
His death was confirmed by a Dr Rabi Abeyasinghe from the World Health Organisation who said “we need to keep in mind” that the man was a resident of Wuhan.
“San Lazaro Hospital and the Department of Health assured that infection prevention and control measures are in place, including personal protective equipment to health workers,” he said.
Wuhan, a city of 11million people in Hubei province, has been quarantined for more than a week after it was reported the outbreak started at a meat market in December.
The death toll from the virus in China has reached 304 and the number of cases is 14,380. More than 130 cases have been reported in 25 other countries including the US, France, Russia, Australia and the United Arab Emirates.
CHINA ISOLATED
China is facing mounting isolation as other countries introduce travel curbs, airlines suspend flights and governments evacuate their citizens, risking worsening a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy.
The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, but said global trade and travel restrictions are not needed.
However, some countries are responding to fears of the virus spreading by ramping up border controls. Singapore and the United States announced measures on Friday to ban foreign nationals who have recently been in China from entering their territories, and Australia followed suit on Saturday.
Eighty-three people are in quarantine on the Wirral on the UK after a rescue flight from Wuhan with more expected to join them today.
The World Health Organization declared the killer outbreak in China a global public emergency.
And facilities in the city of Wuhan have been pushed to breaking point, with social media footage appearing to show hallways packed with patients waiting to be seen and staff stepping over dead bodies.
Other clips show exhausted medics breaking down in tears after days working without sleep.
Chinese authorities built their first makeshift hospital dedicated coronavirus patients in just two days.
The Chinese military was sent in to Wuhan to assist doctors, but medical staff have reached a breaking point as patients are stilling queuing for treatment.
The doctor added that the extra staff have only been able to give doctors “one or two more hours’ sleep”.
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Yesterday, a disturbing photo of a cyclist casually riding past the body of a pensioner who dropped dead in Wuhan emerged.
Although it’s not known if the grey-haired man died of the killer bug, it is clear from these pictures the authorities were taking no chances.
After being inspected the body was eventually zipped into a medical bag and carried into a van before the street was thoroughly disinfected.