BEIJING: China, due to coronavirus outbreak is facing worst shortage of hospital beds and other equipment required for treatment of infection carrying people as death toll crossed 560 and infections toll crossed 28,000.
Chinese authorities on Thursday stated that they face a acute shortage of hospital beds and equipment needed to treat a growing number of patients hit by the new coronavirus, as the death toll passed 560 and cities far from the epicentre tightened their defences.
The number of confirmed infections rose to more than 28,000 round the China in an outbreak that has spiralled into a global health emergency with cases reported in more than 20 countries.
Among the cases was a newborn baby, diagnosed just 30 hours after being born.
Despite authorities building a hospital from scratch and converting public buildings to accommodate thousands of extra patients, there was still a “severe” lack of beds, said Hu Lishan, an official in Wuhan, the quarantined city where the virus first appeared — and where doctors are now overwhelmed with cases.
Lishan said that besides beds there was also a shortage of “equipment and materials” and officials were looking to convert other hotels and schools in the city into treatment centres.
A growing number of cities have imposed a range of restrictions far from Hubei, as authorities battle to contain the virus.
Tens of millions of people, from the eastern industrial heartlands to near the northern border with Russia, have been told to stay indoors as authorities battle to curb the outbreak.
Global concerns have risen after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared an international health emergency last week.
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The WHO called for $675 million in donations for a plan to fight the novel coronavirus, mainly through investment in countries considered particularly “at risk”. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged to commit up to $100 million.
New cases emerged abroad, with 10 people testing positive for the virus on a cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan with thousands on board.
Italy announced that passengers from every international flight would be scanned for fevers, while Vietnam joined a growing list of countries banning arrivals from China.
Hong Kong, which reported its first coronavirus death this week, said anyone arriving from the mainland would face a mandatory two-week quarantine from Saturday.
In the city of Hangzhou, some 175 kilometres southwest of Shanghai, fences blocked streets near the headquarters of Chinese tech giant Alibaba — one of the world’s most valuable companies — as a fighter jet circled overhead.
The building appeared to be shut down, while deliverymen moved in and out of nearby fenced-in residential areas to drop off groceries.
The firm is based in one of three Hangzhou districts subject to new restrictions that allow only one person per household to go outside every two days to buy necessities.
“Please don’t go out. Don’t go out. Don’t go out!” blared a message on a loudspeaker urging people to wear masks, wash their hands regularly and report any people who are from Hubei — reflecting a common fear that people from the province might infect others.
At least three other cities in Zhejiang province — Taizhou, Wenzhou and parts of Ningbo — have imposed the same measures, affecting 18 million people.
In the central city of Zhumadian, authorities said one person would be allowed to leave each household only every five days.
Authorities in Beijing said restaurants could no longer accept reservations for parties from Wednesday.
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