China sees sharp spike in cases as COVID-19 spreads to prisons

Medical workers transfer a suspected coronavirus patient to a hospital in Daegu on Friday. South Korea has banned major rallies in Seoul and declared a health emergency in Incheon. Pic/AFP

China on Thursday reported a sharp increase in the cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection just a day after announcing a significant decline in the number of new infections. New confirmed infections rose to 1,109 by the end of Thursday, as compared to 394 reported the day before. The toll has risen to 2,236, with 118 new deaths as of Thursday.

The sudden spike was mostly due to the spread of the new Coronavirus in prisons across the country, where over 500 cases have been detected, authorities said on Friday. Hubei said on Friday that 271 cases were reported by its prisons on Thursday, including 220 that had previously not been known to provincial authorities. Most of those cases were at the Wuhan Women's Prison in Hubei's capital, He Ping, director for prison administration at the Ministry of Justice, told reporters. The warden of Wuhan women's prison had been removed for failing to prevent the outbreak.

Seven guards and 200 inmates also tested positive for the virus at Rencheng prison in eastern Shandong province, the provincial health commission said. Xie Weijun, head of Shandong's justice department, and seven other officials were sacked over the outbreak, officials said. Wu Lei, director of Shandong's prison administration, said the new cases showed that "the implementation of our prevention and control measures have not been effective". Another 34 cases were found at Shilifeng prison in eastern Zhejiang province.

29-year-old doctor dies in Wuhan

Coronavirus has claimed the life of a 29-year-old Chinese doctor, who postponed his wedding to treat patients infected with the deadly virus. Dr Peng Yinhua died on Thursday night. Earlier, reports had said the virus has so far killed mostly elderly and sick people. Peng became infected while working to combat the COVID-19 at the First People's Hospital of Jiangxia District of Wuhan. He was hospitalised on January 25 and transferred to the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital for treatment on January 30. He died from the virus despite doctors' all-out efforts to save his life.

Updates from outside China

. South Korea on Friday confirmed 100 more cases of the new Coronavirus, raising the total number of infections to 204

. Israel confirmed its first case. One passenger who returned from the Diamond Princess in Japan tested positive

. Two Australians, evacuated from the Diamond Princess after being cleared, have tested positive on their return home

. The condition of eight Indians on board the Diamond Princess is improving, the Indian embassy in Tokyo said

. Iran reported two more deaths on Friday, bringing the total number of deaths to four and COVID-19 infections to 18

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