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The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 77,658 by the end of February 24. A total of 2,663 people have died of COVID-19, and altogether 27,323 people have been discharged from hospital after recovery. Other parts of the Chinese mainland outside Hubei reported nine new infections, a single-digit increase for the first time since the epidemic outbreak.
- The World Health Organization Director-General said on Monday COVID-19 "not yet" a pandemic.
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China will postpone the "two sessions," a key event in the country's political calendar, amid concerted efforts to contain the epidemic and boost economic and social development.
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As of the end of Monday, Chongqing had reported a total of 576 confirmed cases, with 221 currently hospitalized, with19 severe cases and eight critical cases, six deaths, and 349 discharged patients. Monday had one newly confirmed case, and fourteen more patients recovered and discharged from the hospital.
- The 16th Chongqing municipal medical team of 30 members left Monday afternoon to assist the Hubei Province.
- Altogether 31 local financial institutions in Chongqing have been approved to resume work.
- Medical institutions in Chongqing have been required to implement differentiated measures for epidemic prevention and control, combined with regional epidemic development trends and risk levels, to ensure daily medical service needs.
Chongqing- As of 24:00 local time on February 24, Chongqing had reported 221 confirmed cases currently hospitalized, with 19 in severe condition and eight in critical condition, six deaths, and 349 discharged patients after recovery, according to the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission Tuesday. All those cases had totaled 576 confirmed cases infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as of the end of Monday in Chongqing. Monday had one newly confirmed case, and fourteen more patients recovered and discharged from the hospital.
A total of 23,350 people who had close contacts with COVID-19 patients have been traced, 22,447 people have been released from medical observation, and 903 people are under medical observation.
The 16th Chongqing municipal medical team of 30 members leave for Hubei Province on February 24, 2020. (Photo by Gao Ke)
The 16th Chongqing municipal medical team of 30 members left on Monday afternoon to assist Hubei Province. The 30 members have rich experience in clinical diagnosis and treatment of psychology. They provide mental health support to patients and medical staff in Wuhan. As of Monday, a total of 1,423 members from sixteen medical teams of Chongqing have been fighting against COVID-19 in Hubei.
31 local financial institutions in Chongqing approved to resume work
According to Monday's press conference on epidemic prevention and control, 31 local financial institutions in Chongqing were approved to resume work.
The Chongqing Local Financial Supervision and Administration Bureau has issued a series of policies to fully support the resumption of production and work of physical enterprises. Local financial institutions responded positively and supported enterprises' resumption of operation. Currently, more than 1,300 customers influenced by the epidemic have obtained extensions of loans by 1.3 billion yuan (about 185.4 million USD).
Differentiated measures for medical institutions
Chongqing has classified its regions as high-, medium-, and low-risk areas. Medical institutions have been required to implement differentiated measures for epidemic prevention and control, combined with regional epidemic development trends and risk levels, to ensure daily medical service needs.
Specifically, implement management based on the risk level of every district and county. Meet the needs of key populations for categorized medical treatment. For example, strengthen the management of pre-screening triages, fever clinics, emergency departments, and general wards to ensure that key populations can safely seek medical treatment. For critically ill patients, timely and effective treatment should be given following the relevant systems and diagnosis and treatment specifications. In addition, prevent patients from gathering infections. All medical institutions shall strengthen publicity, timely release relevant medical treatment information, and guide patients to seek medical treatment in a reasonable and orderly manner. Implement the system of graded diagnosis and treatment, "Internet + medical treatment", etc., so that the people can seek medical treatment nearby or online.
The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 77,658 by the end of Monday, and 2,663 people had died of the disease, according to the National Health Commission (NHC) Tuesday. A total of 27,323 people had been discharged from the hospital after recovery. By the end of Monday, 81 confirmed cases, including two deaths, had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), ten confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 30 in Taiwan, including one death. Nineteen patients in Hong Kong, six in Macao, and five in Taiwan have been discharged from hospital after recovery. NHC also reported nine new infections in other parts of the Chinese mainland outside Hubei, a single-digit increase for the first time since the epidemic outbreak.
WHO: COVID-19 is not a pandemic yet
The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 on February 24. "For the moment, we are not witnessing the uncontained global spread of this virus, and we are not witnessing large-scale severe disease or death," he said and added, "Does this virus have pandemic potential? It has. Are we there yet? From our assessment, not yet."
Earlier, the WHO-China joint mission had concluded its visit here in China, including the outbreak epicenter of Wuhan. According to the report, there has been no significant change in the DNA of the virus, and the fatality rate is between 2% and 4% in Wuhan and 0.7% outside Wuhan. The WHO chief explained the decision "is based on an ongoing assessment of the geographical spread of the virus, the severity of the disease it causes, and the impact it has on the whole of society."
Xinhua news reported that China's top legislature on Monday decided to impose a full ban on illegal wildlife trade and postpone its annual session amid the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak. At the one-day session, lawmakers also passed a decision to delay the third annual session of the 13th National People's Congress, originally scheduled to open on March 5. The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body, has been advised by its Chairperson's Council to postpone its annual session.