Chinese Ambassador meets with WHO rep

Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to TT, Song Yumin, has expressed his grave concern over the coronavirus issue and as such, met recently with the World Health Organization (WHO) representative based in this country, to exchange views on communication and cooperation in the fight against the outbreak.

This was confirmed in an emailed release sent by the embassy on Friday. The release said the embassy will continue to keep open communication lines with the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs and the Ministry of Health on the latest developments in China where the virus originated.

As of Thursday, the release said, the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China has reported 7,711 confirmed cases of pneumonia and 170 deaths caused by the novel coronavirus (2019n-C0V). A total of 124 people have been discharged from hospital after recovery.

The National Health Commission has traced in total 88,693 people who have had close contact with the infected patients in order to curb the transmission of the novel coronavirus. 2,364 of them have been released from medical observation while 81,947 are still under medical observation.

The WHO on Thursday declared a global emergency as concerns grow that the virus could spread to countries with weaker health systems. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has emphasised that the main reason for decision was not due to what is happening in China but what is occurring in other countries.

The embassy said that the WHO continues to recognise the “unprecedented response” and “extraordinary measures” to the outbreak taken by China in order to protect citizens and the rest of the world.

The ambassy said that China is fully confident that it has the capability to bring the spread of the virus under control and treat with those who have fallen ill.

The embassy said it is closely monitoring the entry of Chinese citizens into Trinidad and Tobago. There have not been any suspected cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus in TT, up to press time.