China on Wednesday reported another drop in the number of new cases of a viral infection and 97 more deaths, pushing the total dead past 1,100 even as the country remains largely closed down to prevent the spread of the disease.
The National Health Commission on Wednesday said 2,015 new cases had been reported over the last 24 hours, declining for a second day. The total number of cases in mainland China is 44,653, although many experts say a large number of others infected have gone uncounted.
The 97 additional deaths from the virus raised the mainland toll to 1,113.
In this Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a drone carries a QR code placard near an expressway toll station in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong Province. As a measure to help prevent and control novel coronavirus, an online register system for vehicles coming back to Shenzhen has been put into use since Feb. 8. To increase the efficiency, local police officers used drones to carry a QR code at the expressway exits for drivers to get registered with less contact with other people. (Lai LiXinhua via AP)
Despite the official end o the extended Lunar New Year holiday, China remained mostly closed for business as many remained at home, with some 60 million people under virtual quarantine.
The World Health Organization has named the disease caused by the virus as COVID-19, avoiding any animal or geographic designation to avoid stigmatization and to show the disease comes from a new coronavirus discovered in 2019.
The illness was first reported in December and connected to a food market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak has largely been concentrated.
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency technicians work on a second generation disinfection robot in a technological company in Qingdao, eastern China's Shandong Province on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. Qingdao has called on technological companies to research, develop and refit disinfection robots which can replace human in disinfection operations for possible use in isolation wards of hospitals. (Li ZihengXinhua via AP)
China's official media reported Tuesday that the top health officials in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, have been relieved of their duties. No reasons were given, although the province's initial response was deemed slow and ineffective. Speculation that higher-level officials could be sacked has simmered, but doing so could spark political infighting and be a tacit admission of responsibility.
Security guards hold the curtain for a cyclist to past through a disinfectant spray in order to return home at a residential complex in northern China's Tianjin Municipality Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. China's daily death toll from a new virus topped 100 for the first time and pushed the total past 1,000 dead, authorities said Tuesday after leader Xi Jinping visited a health center to rally public morale amid little sign the contagion is abating. (Chinatopix Via AP) CHINA OUT