BEIJING: The Philippines on Saturday reported the first death related to a new virus outside of China.
The Department of Health says a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan was admitted on Jan. 25 after experiencing fever, cough, and sore throat.
He developed severe pneumonia, and in his last few days, “the patient was stable and showed signs of improvement, however, the condition of the patient deteriorated within his last 24 hours resulting in his demise,” the health department said.
The man’s 38-year-old female companion, also from Wuhan, tested positive for the virus and remains in hospital isolation in Manila. She’s the second case in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has evacuated 10 students from the Chinese city of Wuhan where the new coronavirus outbreak began, state television reported on Sunday, citing a Saudi diplomat.
Chinese authorities approved the special flight that flew the students to the Kingdom, the report said. It did not say when the evacuation took place.
The 10 students remained in their dorms while in Wuhan, and the consulate reached out to them for an evacuation plan.
The students will be taken to what was described as a special quarantine area for 15 to 20 days on board of ambulances, Al-Arabiya also reported on Sunday.
They were flown on a private plane and arrived at the private terminal in the King’s international airport. Medical teams took samples of the students’ saliva for coronavirus testing while they were midflight.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan praised Chinese authorities for their role in the evacuation.
Saudi Airlines has also announced on Sunday it was suspending flight to and from Guangzhou, China due to the outbreak.
Oman’s civil aviation authorities on Sunday also suspended flights from Muscat and China effective immediately.
Iraq’s interior ministry banned entry of all foreign visitors coming from China.
The viral outbreak has infected more than 14,500 people globally.
Cases confirmed as of Sunday morning in Beijing:
— China: 14,380 cases on the mainland. In addition, Hong Kong has 12 cases and Macao has five. Most of the 304 deaths have been in central Hubei province, where illnesses from the new type of coronavirus were first detected in December.
— Thailand: 19
— Japan: 20
— Singapore: 18
— South Korea: 15
— Taiwan: 10
— Malaysia: 8
— Australia: 7
— Germany: 8
— United States: 8
— France: 6
— Vietnam: 6
— Canada: 4
— United Arab Emirates: 5
— Russia: 2
— Italy: 2
— Britain: 2
— Philippines: 2
— Cambodia: 1
— Finland: 1
— India: 1
— Nepal: 1
— Sri Lanka: 1
— Sweden: 1
— Spain 1
