• There were now 292,142 confirmed cases (26,069 new) globally, and 12,784 people (1,600 new) have lost their lives by 23:59 CET March 21, according to the daily COVID-19 situation report released by the World Health Organization.

• The Chinese mainland reported 39 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 Sunday, all of which were imported cases, according to the National Health Commission Monday. Wuhan reported zero increase for the fifth consecutive day.

• Having known that Wuhan reported no new cases for the first time, the WHO Director-General said at the media briefing on COVID-19 on March 20 that “Wuhan provides hope for the rest of the world, that even the most severe situation can be turned around.”

• The Chinese government has sent a team of medical experts to Cambodia to help the country fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang announced Monday.

• Chongqing reported no local infection of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its first imported case from 00:00 to 24:00 on March 22, according to the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission Monday.

Chongqing- From 00:00 to 24:00 on March 22, there was no local infection of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Chongqing and one imported case was reported and is now hospitalized, according to the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission Monday. As of March 22, there were no confirmed or suspected cases in terms of local transmission in Chongqing. A total of 23,872 close contacts have been traced, 23,682 medical observations have been lifted, and 190 are still undergoing medical observation.

Chongqing briefs on its first imported COVID-19 case

According to Monday’s press conference on COVID-19 prevention and control, the patient is a female student studying in a Spanish college and living in the Yubei District of Chongqing downtown.

On March 18, she took a flight from Barcelona to Moscow, then transferred to flight SU204 to Beijing, and took flight MU5528 bound for Chongqing on the evening of March 19. The passenger was sent to a centralized isolation point for medical observation upon arrival. On March 22, she was diagnosed as a confirmed case with mild symptoms after the consultation of a municipal expert team, and then the patient was transferred to a centralized treatment hospital on the same day. At present, her close contacts in Chongqing have taken centralized isolation for medical observation, and relevant provinces and municipality have been informed. Moreover, Chongqing has sent a letter of inquiry to Beijing to carry out relevant epidemiological investigations and close contact tracing.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Chongqing has always treated all international arrivals, whether Chinese or foreign citizens, equally. Experts pointed out that while the domestic control has achieved periodic results, the pandemic has spread rapidly from a global perspective. The World Health Organization and many countries have raised their risk classification and response strategies to the highest level. At present, the number of international arrivals increases, so does the risk of imported cases. Strict prevention of new imported risks is the top priority of COVID-19 prevention and control.

Experts suggest people currently overseas taking proper personal protection and seeking medical treatment in a timely manner if they have contacted with confirmed cases or have suspicious symptoms. Those returning or coming to Chongqing from overseas should take the initiative to declare health information and cooperate with various health quarantine measures such as temperature detection and epidemiological investigation.

WHO chief: Wuhan provides hope for the rest of the world

The Chinese mainland reported 39 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 Sunday, according to the National Health Commission Monday. All of them were imported cases, bringing the total number of its kind to 353. Wuhan reported zero increase for the fifth consecutive day. 

Having known that Wuhan reported no new cases for the first time, the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the media briefing on COVID-19 on March 20 that “Wuhan provides hope for the rest of the world, that even the most severe situation can be turned around.”

The Chinese government has sent a team of medical experts to Cambodia to help the country fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang announced Monday.

The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 81,093 by the end of Sunday, including 5,120 patients who were still being treated, 72,703 patients who had been discharged after recovery, and 3,270 people who died of the disease. By the end of Sunday, 317confirmed cases including four deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 21 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 169 in Taiwan including two deaths. A total of 100 patients in Hong Kong, ten in Macao and 28 in Taiwan had been discharged from the hospital after recovery.

There were now 292,142 confirmed cases (26,069 new) globally, and 12,784 people (1,600 new) have lost their lives by 23:59 CET March 21, according to the daily COVID-19 situation report released by the World Health Organization (WHO). Four new countries/territories/areas from the African Region have reported cases of COVID-19. As COVID-19 cases continue to increase, many countries are requesting individuals to stay at home in self-quarantine, according to the report.