Chongqing COVID-19 Update: No Newly Confirmed Cases for the 13th Consecutive Day, Seven Medical Teams Were Praised 

  • As of 17:00 on March 9 (Beijing Time), The number of countries and regions affected by the COVID-19 outside China has reached 101, according to the WHO, said on Sunday. Data from the WHO showed a total of 105,586 cases had been reported, with 24,727 being outside China.
  • The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 80,735 by the end of March 8. A total of 3,119 people had died of COVID-19, and altogether 58,600 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery.
  • As of the end of Sunday, Chongqing had reported a total of 576 confirmed cases, with 43 currently hospitalized (three severe cases and one critical case), six deaths, and 527 discharged patients. Sunrday had no newly established case in Chongqing for the thirteenth consecutive day, and six more patients recovered and released from the hospital.

Chongqing – As of 24:00 local time on March 8, Chongqing had reported 43 confirmed cases currently hospitalized (three in severe condition and one in critical condition), six deaths, and 527 discharged patients after recovery, according to the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission Sunday. All those cases had totaled 576 confirmed cases infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as of the end of Sunday in Chongqing.

Sunday had no newly confirmed case in Chongqing for the thirteenth day, and one more patient recovered and discharged from the hospital. A total of 23,668 people who had close contacts with COVID-19 patients have been traced, 23,477 people have been released from medical observation, and 191 people are under medical observation.

Chongqing's seven medical teams were praised 

The 16th Chongqing municipal medical team of 30 members leave for Hubei Province on February 24, 2020. (Photo by Gao Ke)

According to Monday's press conference on COVID-19,  seven medical teams were praised as advanced teams to encourage Chongqing's medical workers to unite and work hard to combat the epidemic. The seven advanced teams are:

  • Chongqing COVID-19 medical team who aid to Hubei
  • The COVID-19 treatment team of Chongqing Public Health Medical Treatment Center
  • The COVID-19 treatment team of Chongqing Three Gorges Central Hospital
  • The COVID-19 treatment team of Yongchuan Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University
  • The COVID-19 treatment team of Chongqing Qianjiang Central Hospital
  • Working group on COVIN-19 prevention and control of Chongqing Disease Control and Prevention Center
  • The expert team of Chongqing COVID-19 medical treatment

Xia Pei, Deputy Secretary of Chongqing Health Committee, said that after the outbreak of COVID-19, Chongqing's vast number of medical workers rushed to the front line, despite difficulties, to save patients. Their action shows their noble spirit of professional ethics. 

Many countries have turned their eyes to China's anti-epidemic experience

According to Xinhua News, to find the best way to contain a further spread of COVID-19, many countries have set their eyes to China's anti-epidemic experience.

Chile announced earlier this week that it would send experts to China.

"China's situation is extraordinarily important because the measures they have applied, mainly measures of public health, community awareness and controlling contact are working," said Chilean Health Minister Jaime Manalich.

Bruce Aylward, an epidemiologist who led an advance team from the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks during a press conference of the China-WHO joint expert team in Beijing, capital of China, February 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

Bruce Aylward, team leader of the China-WHO joint mission on COVID-19, told The New York Times that China's counterattack can be replicated but requires speed, money, imagination, and political courage.

Charles Powell, a member of Britain's House of Lords and chairman of the Said Business School at Oxford University, said other countries have tried to imitate China's response on a much smaller scale.

"One is seeing how the Italian government is trying to isolate two parts of the country and whether it will work. I think people respect China's reaction," he said.

Last week, Chinese health authorities held a video conference with experts from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Turkmenistan, and the secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to share China's experience.