Written by: Smiler and Amber
26.01.2020
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Since the outbreak was first reported in December, more than 2,082 people have been infected with the new coronavirus and 56 killed.
As a continuation of the last article about Wuhan Pneumonia, this part provides information to how global governments are combating the new coronavirus, and a critical view to the measures implemented by the governments. From the likely cover-up of the Chinese government, to the remedial measures of the international governments and societies, the followings would walk you through what you need to know.
Could it be true that the detection of the virus is yet to be known by the Chinese?
The video below is a backup of the one originally uploaded by Radio Free Asia to twitter on the 24th, and quickly taken down within 20 minutes. The video claimed to feature audio recording of an internal meeting of the epidemic prevention department in Wuhan. Translated caption and transcription provided. Understand and make inferences at your own risk.
Original caption translated:
[Wuhan epidemic prevention department internal meeting recording]
[“there are patients without fever the entire time, then dead”]
The channel have received a recording of an internal meeting of the Wuhan epidemic prevention department.
The meeting mentioned a classified letter, pointing out that many patients of the new virus, until the moment of death,
“did not catch fever at all”, which is different from SARS in 2003. Also saying that authorities keep it confidential,
so not to cause panicking in the public.
Translated subtitles/ transcription:
Before we always thought sometime went wrong only when we see symptoms of fever.
Now it’s not. Now through this classified letter from the National Health Commission,
we understand why the illness is hard to deal with.
The reason is that, in many severe and critical cases, there was no symptoms of fever
at all. “No appearant pyrexia”, which is they did not have fever. And that is a huge problem.
How could we possibly check it? When the patient did not have fever the entire time, and then he is dead.
You know what I mean? This is one very very important message I have in here.
Don’t you think a person is infected (with Wuhan Pneumonia) only when there is fever. Even if there is no fever,
the patient could also be infected. How are we supposed to be taking control?
How do we control the train stations? How do we control the airport?
Before we thought checking body temperatures would do, now even checking body temperature won’t help.
The person could already be severe or critical, yet without fever.
Why do the officials cover it up? They are afraid of causing panic to the public.
The problem is this thing could lead to a massive outbreak.
There’s no way of checking, no way in preventing.
This is not the same as that in year 2003.
Chinese Government Manipulates Distribution of Reagent for Potential Cover-ups of Death Tolls
According to NetEase News in China, a person in charge in Shanghai GeneoDx Biotech Co., LTD, one of the pharmaceutical companies supplying Wuhan city the reagents, assured in an interview that the supply of the reagent has been enough all this time. The portion for 30,000 people was produced on the 23rd and the portion for 120,000 more was expected to be produced on the 24th.
What have caused the reagent to run out of stock across the city, if not the entire country, was the system that prohibits hospitals from buying them. Testing of the virus was at earlier stages not allowed in the hospitals, instead was restricted to be done only in provincial CDCs. Later, even though tests are allowed to be done in hospitals, experties is required to adapt to the PTPCR method intended for the reagent.
According to CABLE News Hong Kong’s interview with suspected case patients, the family of a deceased patient of pneumonia(never get the chance to be diagnosed for the new coronavirus), many patients have been turned away by hospitals in the region as the hospitals could not take more patients. Reagents were not available in hospitals of smaller scales, while larger hospitals refuse to allow tests, saying they could only go to the same hospital they had visited for the tests. They were also told by the hospitals that themselves “don’t have the power” to buy reagents.
Many like them, potentially infected but not diagnosed, have to rush to hospitals daily hoping to be taken in by the hospitals and treated. Given no isolation would be applied to the non-diagnosed cases untill today, the result of having potential carriers travelling around the city could only be worsening the situation and infecting even more of the citizens.
An article in Epoch Times further explains the situation.
Claiming “the tolls officically released are completely manipulated”, a source revealed that the number of diagnosed cases determind by the results of the tests, is fully controlled by the Chinese government by manipulating the number of reagent supply. Through the controlled supply, the government could “plan out” the outbreak smoothly without unveiling the true condition in China.
Already reported by other media, only designated hospitals are qualified to be receiving the reagents from the central government, and what they are supplied with is less than 10% of what is needed. For that we could speculate the genuine numbers of the outbreak could nearly be 10 times the officially released numbers by the Chinese government. The reason why the Chinese government releases those made-up numbers at all, is only because they are forced to do so as patients were diagnosed around the world.
The supply of testing kits is functioning as China’s gate for death rate. The Chief Nurse of Wuhan Xiehe Hospital had stated, all of the hospitals in Wuhan are overloading, it is practically impossible for the hospitals to take in all the patients. As being confirmed a diagnosed case for the new virus means the patient would be treated for free, hospitals are selective in hand-picking who to diagnose. Revealed by the Chief Nurse, the places are often reserved for medics themselves and their family. From various news sources we know that patients are very often turned away by the hospitals in such condition, especially when they show severe symptoms. And how they use the supply to gate death rate is even easier to comprehend. Basically “not diagnosed of the coronavirus = not dead from Wuhan Pneumonia”.
Due to the ammendment of the procedures in confirming diagnosis on the 18th, within Wuhan, results of all the diagnosis has to be reported to the Hubei provincial office for review, and then be announced only altogether by the provincial government. Outside Hubei the restrictions are even more strict. In other provinces the review process involves national-level report.
Putting all those pieces of evidence together, it seems reasonable to say, the Chinese government is indeed attempting to pull off a cover-up of the extensive outbreak of Wuhan pneumonia and the unimaginable death toll. Until today we still could not tell what the actual numbers of the infected and deadth toll are. Unfortunately despite all the other countries putting in efforts to keep their citizens safe from the virus, it is the dishonest one that put us all in danger.
There are delayed actions by governments all around the world. While the virus spreads to other regions from its epicenter Wuhan, the countries where cases started occurring, govts are shutting down or limiting transportations, tours and slowing down the funcioning of crowded public areas such as schools or holiday places, such as in Hong Kong, China, France. Some countries closed their borders or travel pass with Wuhan, as in Taiwan and Hong Kong. China shut down Wuhan with no traffic entries or exits. We don’t see measures taken in the rest countries where cases of epidemic aren’t seen yet. Medical personnel are pressuring governments and calling them to take stricter measures with a threat of going for a strike otherwise, as in Hong Kong, which has become effective in taking more measures in the last few days.
Measures taken in Hong Kong:
Hong Kong’s leader finally has declared the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak an emergency, raising the government’s response to its highest level and announcing a series of measures to prevent the infection from spreading further.
– Medics’ protests became effective in govt’s decision of limiting or closing down of high speed railway station today. According to this measure, all flights and high-speed trains from Wuhan to Hong Kong will be suspended indefinitely to control the spread of the virus.
– The govt decided to decrease the risk of illness’ spreading in crowded areas also by keeping most kindergartens, primary and secondary schools closed until February 17.
– Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon got cancelled.
– Hong Kong Disneyland and OceanPark temporarily closed until further notice.
– Implementation of health declarations at all entry points to Hong Kong.
– No closing border with China yet, though a labour union representing medical staff said public doctors had threatened to strike if the government refused to close the border.
– Health declaration forms are extended to all entry points into Hong Kong.
– Temperature checks for outgoing travellers, with priority given to those going to Shenzhen or Macau.
– Director of Health Dr Constance Chan Hon-yee said setting up a digital declaration health notification system is considered.
-Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park are closed.
-Fanling is a part of the Fanling–Sheung Shui New Town in Hong Kong that has a population of 247,000. Even though not the most densely populated towns, it is right at the border with China which citizens of both sides travel across very often. Despite the close-down of the high-speed railway station in Western Kowloon, the railway running to and from the border with China is still running until today.
Lo Wu and Lok Ma chau are two borders with China. Sheung Shui and Fanling are the closest stations.
The Hong Kong gov designated an isolation area as living quarters for medical workers with high exposure to the diagnosed patients of the virus. However there are schools and high rise residentials flats within 500 meters from the isolation area that houses about 50k residents. The decision is only made public in a government press conference without any public consultation beforehand, pushing local residents of all ages to set roadblocks to block living supplies to be sent into the isolation area.
Translation: “The isolation area is just at the back of my house(flat), I can see it when I am in my house, we can walk into there within 3 minutes, government wants us to die”
On the map the isolation area is the circled dot, the word in the middle is “residential area”, the arrow indicates the pathway to reach the isolation area.
Translation: “Amoy Gardens 2.0” (Amoy Gardens is a high rise residential building that suffered an outbreak in SARS epidemic at 2003) “Fai Ming Estate is about to be used as an isolation area Fanling People, do you want to catch the Wuhan virus?”
【直播】 2020.01.26 丘比特和你隔 粉嶺現場居民不滿政府徵用粉嶺暉明邨作隔離營#丘比特 #丘品直播 #丘品創作 #丘品新聞
Geplaatst door Cupid Producer op Zondag 26 januari 2020
It is still happening as of now and could be watched live here:
https://ncehk2019.github.io/nce-live/?visibleCount=12
Measures in China:
-A lockdown in Wuhan and two neighbouring cities.
-All tour groups and the sale of flight and hotel packages for Chinese citizens headed overseas are suspended.
-The Beijing city govt suspended all inter-province buses from Sunday, effectively limiting road travel into the capital.
-Wuhan city gov banned vehicle traffic in the city center except for some vehicles such as shuttle buses and trucks moving supplies.
-Wuhan govt will also speed up the customs process for donated supplies, as hospitals in the city raise the alarm about a shortage of hospital gowns, surgical masks and other necessities. Taxes won’t be collected from overseas supplies.
-Shangai will start education with a week delay.
-Public spaces across China, including railway stations, airports, and ports, were told to step up measures to deter the spread of the virus, including ventilation, disinfection, and body temperature checks for people.
Measures in USA:
The State Department has ordered all American employees at the United States Consulate in Wuhan to leave the city, with a charter flight.
Measures in France:
-The French Consulate in Wuhan also told its citizens on Friday that it was considering setting up bus rides for those who wished to leave the city
-Paris canceled Lunar New Year parade.
Measures in Philippines:
Philippines is returning travellers from Wuhan.
Measures in Singapore:
-Suspect cases presented at the hospitals will be immediately isolated and further assessed.
-Singapore Ministry of Health urges public to remain vigilant and to adopt good personal hygiene practices
-Singaporeans are advised not to travel to the whole of Hubei Province.
– If travellers have a fever or respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, shortness of breath), they should wear a mask and call the clinic ahead of the visit.
Measures in Taiwan:
-Taiwan has confirmed its first Wuhan coronavirus case and closed its borders to all residents of Wuhan
-All direct flights between Taiwan and Wuhan got canceled
-Country’s international airports enforce “very strict” epidemic prevention measures.
Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-china-health-transmission-idUKKBN1ZP093?taid=5e2d6a5c0f91f60001a243b3&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-china-health-virus-factbox-idUKKBN1ZP0B6?taid=5e2d7861ebed6f0001a55ad2&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
https://www.scmp.com/
https://www.caixinglobal.com/2020-01-25/countries-in-north-america-europe-australia-asia-confirm-coronavirus-cases-raising-travel-advisories-101508379.html
https://www.moh.gov.sg/2019-ncov-wuhan
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3047660/china-coronavirus-hong-kong-leader-adopts-advice-medical
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3047645/china-coronavirus-hong-kong-students-get-two-more