Coronavirus update: Director of a leading Wuhan hospital dies of the disease

The death toll due to the coronavirus outbreak has reached 1,868 in mainland China, as per the latest reports.

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Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Published : February 18, 2020 1:11 PM IST

The head of a leading hospital in China's central city of Wuhan, the epicentre of a coronavirus outbreak, died of the virus on Tuesday, state television said.

Liu Zhiming, the director of Wuhan Wuchang Hospital, died at 10:30 am, it said. 50-year-old Zhiming is the second prominent Chinese doctor to have succumbed to the pathogen.

Earlier this month, the virus killed a Chinese whistleblower doctor. Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist, contracted the virus while working at Wuhan Central Hospital. On December, the 34-year-old had sent out a message to fellow doctors in a chat group warning them to wear protective clothing to avoid infection.

Meanwhile, the death toll due to the COVID-19 has reached 1,868 in mainland China, as per the latest reports. With 1,886 new confirmed cases, the number of infected people has reached 72,436.

The number of new daily infections fell below 2,000 on Tuesday for the first time since January, according to China's National Health Commission (NHC). However, it is still too early to say the outbreak is being contained - warn global experts.

Outside China

Globally, the coronavirus outbreak has infected more than 71,000 people. Outside of China, there are 827 cases in 26 countries and regions, and five deaths.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said that there is no need for "blanket measures" to curb the novel coronavirus outbreak. The organisation pointed out that the epidemic outside of China was only affecting a "tiny" proportion of the population.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that measures should be taken proportional to the situation, but blanket measures may not help.

According to WHO, COVID-19 is "less deadly" than other coronaviruses such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

WHO officials also rejected the suggestion that all cruises should be halted to avoid infections.

Difference between Coronavirus and Flu Symptoms?

Both seasonal flu viruses and 2019-nCoV are contagious viruses that cause respiratory illness. But some flu symptoms may not occur in coronavirus patients.

Most coronavirus patients show ordinary flu symptoms such as fever, coughing, shortness of breath, aching muscles and fatigue. But as the virus affects the lower respiratory tract, and people infected with the new virus are less likely to have a sore throat. Only a few patients are found suffering from sore throat and runny nose. Cases of coronavirus patients experiencing diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting are also very less.

People with flu usually recover in less than two weeks. In some cases, the flu causes complications, including pneumonia. However, doctors are still trying to understand the severity of 2019-nCoV.

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