COVID-19 Update: China as the Strong Backing of Overseas Students

  • There were 372,757 confirmed cases (39,827 new) globally, and 16,231 people (1,722 new) have lost their lives by 10:00 CET March 24, according to the daily COVID-19 situation report released by the World Health Organization.

  • The Chinese mainland reported 47newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, according to the National Health Commission Wednesday. And all of them were imported cases, bringing the total number of its kind to 474.

  • Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Tuesday, “the motherland is always their (overseas students’) strong back.”

  •  Xinhua reported that a total of 21,046 medical personnel from across China aiding central China's Hubei Province had left the province as of Tuesday as the novel coronavirus outbreak is subdued, according to local authorities.

At the regular press conference on March 24, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said, “The Party and the government are always concerned about the health and safety of overseas students. For them, the motherland is always their strong backing.”

Recently, the Chinese embassies in the UK, France, Italy, and Saudi Arabia distributed "health kits" containing epidemic prevention materials and guidelines to Chinese students. Moreover, Chinese foreign missions overseas have made it a priority to help overseas students in their study, daily life, and self-protection. They have taken actions to fully mobilize resources to help these students address practical difficulties.

The first batch of 669 Chongqing medical team members supporting Xiaogan return to Chongqing on March 22, 2020. They are welcomed by the water salute ceremony. (Photo by Huang Wei)

 Xinhua reported that a total of 21,046 medical personnel from across China aiding central China's Hubei Province had left the province as of Tuesday as the novel coronavirus outbreak is subdued, according to local authorities. There are still 16,558 medical workers belonging to 139 medical teams who are fighting the virus in Wuhan, the former hardest-hit city.

The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 81,218 by the end of Tuesday, including 4,287 patients who were still being treated, 73,650 patients who had been discharged after recovery, and 3,281 people who died of the disease. By the end of Tuesday, 386 confirmed cases including four deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 26 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 216 in Taiwan including two deaths. A total of 102 patients in Hong Kong, ten in Macao and 29 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospital after recovery.

There were 372,757 confirmed cases (39,827 new) globally, and 16,231 people (1,722 new) have lost their lives by 10:00 CET March 24, according to the daily COVID-19 situation report released by the World Health Organization (WHO). Four new countries/territories/areas from the South-East Asia Region [1] and Region of the Americas [3] have reported cases of COVID-19.