-
China's Hubei Province reported 14,840 new confirmed cases, including 13,332 clinically diagnosed cases, and 242 new deaths on Wednesday.
- 2,600 additional medical personnel from the armed forces will be tasked with treating patients in two hospitals in Wuhan.
- China has released a guideline to regulate the use of air-conditioning and ventilation systems in offices and public places.
-
As of Thursday noon, Chongqing had reported a total of 525 confirmed cases with 29 severe cases, 24 critical cases, three deaths, and 114 discharged patients.
- Chongqing dispatched its eighth municipal medical team of 160 members to assist Hubei on Thursday.
A staff member is checking people's body temperature at a toll station in Yubei District. (Photo by Tang Yi)
Chongqing- As of 12:00 local time on February 13, Chongqing had reported a total of 525 confirmed cases infected by the coronavirus disease that was discovered in 2019 (COVID-19), according to the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission Thursday. There are 29 severe cases, 24 critical cases, three deaths, and 114 discharged patients.
As of Wednesday midnight, a total of 18,925 people who had close contacts with COVID-19 patients have been traced, 11,755 people have been released from medical observation, and 7,170 people are under medical observation.
The medical personnel- 40 doctors and 120 nurses came from multiple departments, including the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Infectious Diseases or Infection Medicine, and the Department of Critical Care Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.
Medial resources distributed to ensure the epidemic frontline
According to Wednesday's municipal press conference, while supporting Hubei's epidemic prevention and control, Chongqing coordinates the allocation of medical resources to ensure that high-quality medical resources are used on the frontline of the epidemic. Medical supplies, such as N95 medical masks, surgical masks, medical protective suits, have been ensured. Chongqing has urgently purchased negative pressure ambulances, ECMO, and negative pressure isolation cabins to meet the needs of treatment and transfer, in a bid to improve medical treatment of critical patients and make every effort to provide medical treatment for COVID-19 patients in Chongqing.
Chongqing continued to put close contacts of COVID-19 patients under centralized quarantine for medical observation, to prevent the spread of the epidemic. Recently, the newly confirmed cases in Chongqing were mainly local infections, and most of them came from close contacts.
Reducing taxes and fees to support epidemic prevention and control
The General Office of the Chongqing Municipal People's Government issued 20 measures on February 4 to support small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to overcome difficulties in fighting against the novel coronavirus, to give a full play of their role in the epidemic prevention and control.
As for reducing taxes and fees amid the epidemic outbreak, the Chongqing Municipal Tax Service, State Taxation Administration formulated and issued a guideline on February 10, which covers eight aspects, namely, epidemic prevention personnel, medical treatment services, medical supplies, medical aid donations, medical innovation research and development, living necessities, resumption of work and production, and development of SMEs. For example, people who provide services regarding public transportation, livelihood, and delivery for residents' daily necessities are exempted from value-added tax. Free donations for the epidemic should be exempt from value-added tax and consumption tax.
Banks and insurers to provide online 7/24 business handling services
Banks and insurers in Chongqing will optimize online banking, mobile banking, payment service via applications, and other electronic channels for online 7/24 business handling services amid the epidemic outbreak. The Chongqing Banking and Insurance Regulatory Bureau has issued 19 measures to support the epidemic prevention and control and the development of the real economy.
To create favorable conditions for the regular operation of enterprises, more than 1,270 companies producing supplies for epidemic prevention and convention have been connected, and 139 companies have added 4.433 billion yuan of credits, and 77 enterprises have obtained 1.1 billion yuan of loans.
China's Hubei Province reported 14,840 new confirmed cases, including 13,332 clinically diagnosed cases, and 242 new deaths on Wednesday, the highest daily increases so far, local health authorities said Thursday. Any suspected cases with pneumonia-related computerized tomography (CT) scan results are counted as clinically diagnosed cases, according to the latest version of the diagnosis and treatment scheme released by the National Health Commission. Clinically diagnosed cases are unique to Hubei statistically. The inclusion of those cases drives the surge in the number of new confirmed cases.
Approved by Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xi Jinping, 2,600 additional medical personnel from the armed forces will be tasked with treating patients in two hospitals in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province and the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
China has released a guideline to regulate the use of air-conditioning and ventilation systems in offices and public places amid an effort to contain the novel coronavirus. The operation of the air-conditioning and ventilation system in offices and public places should be halted once a suspected or confirmed case of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus is identified there, according to a circular issued by a State Council joint task force.