SHANGHAI/ROME/TEHRAN: Scientists in China studying the outbreak of disease caused by the new coronavirus say they have found that two main strains of the virus are circulating in humans and causing infections.
The researchers, from Peking University’s School of Life Sciences and the Institut Pasteur of Shanghai under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, cautioned that their study looked only at a limited range of data, and said follow-up studies of larger data sets were needed to better understand the virus’s evolution.
The preliminary study found that a more aggressive strain of the new coronavirus associated with the outbreak in Wuhan accounted for about 70 per cent of analysed cases, while 30 per cent were linked to a less aggressive type.
The prevalence of the more aggressive virus type decreased after early January 2020, they said.
“These findings strongly support an urgent need for further immediate, comprehensive studies that combine genomic data, epidemiological data, and chart records of the clinical symptoms of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),” they wrote in a study published on Tuesday in the National Science Review, the journal of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
NEW CASES DOWN
Mainland China had 119 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, the National Health Commission said, down from 125 the previous day, in a broad trend that has seen numbers of new cases fall from the middle of February.
The total number of cases on the mainland has now reached 80,270. The number of deaths rose by 38 to bring the total toll for mainland China to 2,981 by March 3.
All but one new death occurred in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak.
JAPAN CROSSES 1,000 MARK
The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Japan topped the 1,000 mark on Wednesday, mostly from the Diamond Princess cruise liner, as the government reiterated that plans to host the Tokyo Olympics in July remained on track.
The new cases bring South Korea’s total to 5,621, with at least 32 deaths, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.
ITALY WORST-HIT IN EUROPE
Italy prepared new emergency measures on Wednesday to try to slow the spread of coronavirus in Europe’s worst hit country, including the possible closure of all schools, universities, cinemas, theatres and most public events.
Seventy-nine people had died of the new coronavirus in Italy as of Tuesday, with more than 2,500 confirmed cases since the outbreak surfaced 13 days ago.
A draft decree seen by Reuters spelled out the draconian steps, ordering “the suspension of events of any nature... that entail the concentration of people and do not allow for a safety distance of at least one metre (yard) to be respected.”
NY REPORTS MORE CASES
The number of people ill with the new coronavirus has risen to six in New York state, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday.
New York’s Yeshiva University said one of its students had tested positive for COVID-19, and it was cancelling all classes on Wednesday at one of its four New York City campuses as a “precautionary step” while it worked with authorities on how to best prepare and keep its students safe.
IRAN DEATH TOLL HITS 92
Iran on Wednesday reported 15 new deaths from the novel coronavirus and 586 additional cases, bringing the overall toll to 92 dead and 2,922 infected. “The number of confirmed new cases in the past 24 hours is 586,” health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told a televised news conference.
INDIA’S CASES RISE TO 28
Sixteen Italians in India have tested positive for coronavirus, the Indian health minister said on Wednesday, as the total number of known cases in the country rose sharply to 28.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would not attend celebrations for the Hindu Holi festival, scheduled to be held across the country next week. — Agencies
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