Yunnan adopts more measures to control virus outbreak

A novel coronavirus-infected patient answers questions during an interview after she was discharged from hospital in Qujing city, Southwest China's Yunnan province on Feb 2, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]

Southwest China's Yunnan province has enacted five new measures to strengthen the battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak, and all who had close contact with affected patients are required to be isolated in hospitals for observation.

The increased measures include a survey to learn who visited Yunnan from Wuhan or returned to Wuhan from Yunnan. All people with confirmed and suspected coronavirus are required to be isolated in designated hospitals for medical treatment.

The third measure is to manage all suspected cases of confirmed coronavirus, and to trace all people who had close contact with suspected cases. The fourth measure is to make all those who had close contact with patients to isolate themselves in hospitals, but not in their homes, since Wednesday.

The fifth measure is to ensure nucleic acid testing is finished within 24 hours, and to quicken diagnostic speed. The quality of follow-up prevention and control measures will be improved.

According to information released at the second news conference on prevention and control of the epidemic on Monday, the number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus rose to 114 in the province as of noon on Monday, including three people in critical condition and seven who are severely ill, with no deaths reported.

According to the latest official reports, there are 216 suspected cases of novel coronavirus in Yunnan province now, and 3,592 people who had close contact with patients are isolated in hospitals for medical observation. Of those, 1,438 are free from isolation.
Four of the confirmed patients are recovered and were discharged from the hospital.

Editor: Wang Shixue