Topline: A 39-year-old man from Hong Kong has died after contracting coronavirus, marking the territory’s first death from the pneumonia-like illness, and the second outside of mainland China.
- The man died on Tuesday from heart failure and is said to have had underlying health issues, the South China Morning Post reported, citing medical sources. He was being treated at an isolation ward at the city’s Princess Margaret hospital.
- He had travelled to Wuhan and returned on January 23, but reported symptoms about a week later. His 72-year-old mother is also ill with the virus and is believed to have contracted the illness from her son.
- There are now 17 reported cases of coronavirus in Hong Kong, after two new cases were reported shortly after the man’s death. The two new cases are believed to have contracted the disease locally as neither they or their family members had travelled to mainland China recently, according to local media.
- The hub has restricted cross border travel with mainland China. On Monday, the government closed all but two border entry points, while it has banned Wuhan residents from entering the hub.
- Hundreds of non-essential medical staff are on strike in Hong Kong, demanding a total shutdown of its border to the mainland in a bid to contain the potentially deadly virus.
- His death comes after a 44-year-old man in the Philippines died after developing “severe pneumonia”. The man, who had travelled from Wuhan, had tested positive for the new coronavirus strain, known as 2019-nCoV.
Key background: More than 20,000 people are confirmed to have been infected with coronavirus, while nearly 427 have died, all but two in mainland China. The illness, which first broke out in a Wuhan food market in December, has since spread to almost 30 countries and impacted local tourism and travel. Several countries, including the U.S., are denying entry to visitors from Wuhan, and advising against travel to China, while several international airlines have suspended flights to the country. Millions in the mainland have been on lockdown since the Lunar New Year holiday which ended over the weekend, while a return to post-holiday routines have been disrupted.
What to watch for: With the virus showing little signs of slowing, China is allowing U.S. experts into the country as part of a World Health Organization mission to combat the illness. Last week, the WHO declared coronavirus a global health emergency.
Further reading: Coronavirus Fears See $400 Billion Wiped Off China’s Stock Market
Coronavirus: Here Are 10 Misconceptions Being Spread (Bruce Y. Lee)
