Coronavirus: 34,546 people now infected as death toll hits 722

BEIJING, China – Death from the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has continued to spike in China despite efforts by authority to curb the spread.

The National Health Commission of the Peoples Republic of China said on Feb 8 that they have received reports of 3,399 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection with 86 deaths on Feb 7 from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

According to them, the overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 34,546 by the end of Feb 7 and 722 people had died of the disease.

“A total of 2,050 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Feb 7, Chinese health authorities announced on Feb 8”. .

According to Xinhua, the Chinese news agency, Pangolins may be an intermediate host of the virus, as indicated by a study led by South China Agricultural University. Researchers found the metagenome sequence of the novel coronavirus strain separated from pangolins to be 99 percent identical to that from infected people.

Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, is in a citywide mobilization to comb communities to ensure every confirmed or suspected patient is located and attended to as a senior official vowed to nail any official deserter “to history’s pillar of shame.”