Coronavirus China’s ‘largest health emergency’: President Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping says the coronavirus epidemic is China’s "largest public health emergency," warning that the country is still at a “crucial stage” of its battle despite Beijing’s “effective measures” to deal with the outbreak.

Speaking at an official meeting to coordinate the virus fight on Sunday, Xi said “the situation is showing a positive trend after arduous efforts, but remains serious and complex”.

He also acknowledged “obvious shortcomings in the response to the epidemic,” adding that officials should “learn lessons” and improve the country’s ability to respond to public health emergencies.

The epidemic "has the fastest transmission, widest range of infection and has been the most difficult to prevent and control".

"This is a crisis for us and it is a big test," Xi said.

China has so far reported a total of 76,936 confirmed cases and 2,442 deaths due to the coronavirus, known as COVID-19. More than 1,150 people have also been infected outside China.

The virus has been fatal in two percent of reported cases, with a risk of death higher for older patients and relatively few cases among children, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The outbreak is reminiscent of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a virus from the same family that emerged in China in 2002 and killed almost 800 people around the world out of the 8,000 or so who were infected.

Recent figures have shown a slowdown in the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, prompting praise for China for its efforts to contain the epidemic.

Xi further said the outbreak will "inevitably have a large impact on the economy and society". However, he stressed the effects will be "short-term" and controllable.

The Chinese president pledged to step up policy support to help achieve economic and social development targets for 2020.

He also called for new fiscal measures including tax cuts to help smaller businesses that have been hit hard by the outbreak.

Third passenger from Japanese cruise ship dies

Meanwhile, a third passenger has died after contracting coronavirus on British cruise ship Diamond Princess which remains quarantined at the dockside of the Japanese port of Yokohama.

Japan’s health ministry said in a statement on Sunday the victim was a Japanese man in his 80s who was also suffering from other illnesses.

The statement said the man was removed from the Diamond Princess and taken to a local hospital after testing positive for COVID-19, without giving any further details.

The cause of death was given as pneumonia, the statement added.

The incident came after two passengers of the ship — a man and a woman in their 80s —died of the infection on Thursday.

SS