The possibility of a spike in new coronavirus cases caused by people returning to big cities after the extended Spring Festival holiday is unlikely, said Chinese respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan on Monday.
Zhong said that strong measures taken in major large and medium-sized cities are effective in epidemic prevention and control.
According to a mathematical model built by Zhong’s team, the outbreak is expected to reach its peak in mid-late February, but that doesn't mean an immediate fall afterwards. "It is uncertain if the outbreak has reached its peak, we need a few more days of observation," said Zhong.
Zhong warned the public to keep their waste pipes unobstructed as the novel coronavirus may spread through drainage systems.
此前,包括鐘南山的團隊在內的兩個團隊已經在糞便里發現新冠病毒,引發人們對于糞口傳播的擔憂。
Two separate research groups, one of which was led by Zhong, announced last week they had isolated novel coronavirus strains from samples of infected patients' feces, triggering suspicion of fecal-oral transmission.
"If a waste pipe is blocked, the contaminated air, or the aerosol carrying the novel coronavirus, may cause infection," Zhong said. "I don't think the virus was ingested but inhaled by people," he said, adding that hospitals should also pay attention to drainage pipes.
He said a similar case happened in 2003, when over 300 people were infected with SARS in a Hong Kong residential community due to the defective design of its sewage system that caused the spread of the virus.
Eighty percent of COVID-19 patients and 95 percent of the deaths are in Wuhan, Zhong said, noting that Wuhan is still the key to the battle against the epidemic, as the confirmed cases outside Hubei province have been declining.
Zhong also said person-to-person transmission of the novel coronavirus is still happening in Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic.
He stressed the importance for Wuhan to distinguish health people from infected patients, and also to distinguish COVID-19 infection from common flu. "Virus transmission between people is unlikely to be halted if these different groups remain together," Zhong said.
The renowned Chinese respiratory scientist also added that plasma therapy is a stable and safe method that has so far been found effective in treating the novel coronavirus patients, especially for those in severe condition.
Ten coronavirus patients in Wuhan have received the treatment so far, six of whom have shown signs of their symptoms easing.
"For Western medicine, there is a process before it works in human body even with proven effectiveness in lab," said Zhong. "Quite a few Western drugs are found to be effective in vitro, but not in the human body."
The case is different with TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine). Some TCMs have already been commonly used in clinic. Further tests in lab and animals can provide evidence and clues for their use.
"Once there is evidence, TCM can be used securely, especially for those early and mid-term patients," said Zhong.
Zhong told reporters work and research are speeding up on medicines to treat this new virus and a drug called Chloroquine phosphate has shown good clinical efficacy.
"Chloroquine is not really a kind of medicine with a special effect, but it is worthy of study," Zhong said.
The dissections of the bodies of the first and second patients who died of the novel coronavirus in China were completed at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital last Sunday. The move was made subject to the national laws and policies and came after their families granted permission. By obtaining their pathological organs, further studies can be made and aid clinical treatment.
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