First medical professional to fall victim to deadly coronavirus in China: Report

A doctor from China's Hubei province has become the first medical casualty from the deadly coronavirus that is causing havoc in the Asian country. The doctor from the Hubei province reportedly died on Saturday after he was infected by the contagious disease. According to media reports, the doctor is the first medical professional to have fallen victim to the disease. Hubei is currently under a total lock-down with the suspension of all public transport after Chinese authorities deployed military medics to step up the treatment in the region. 

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Coronavirus cases

China has reportedly said that the death toll from the virus has risen to 41 while the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has jumped to nearly 1,287 as the contagious disease is continuing to affect thousands of people in the country. According to international media reports, the virus has spread to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo, South Korea, Beijing, Shanghai, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Singapore. While the disease is mainly concentrated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, there have been five reported cases in Thailand and three in Japan and France respectively.

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Chinese state media had earlier reported that the authorities will build two hospitals in the Wuhan region with a capacity of an estimated 1,500 beds to treat the patients infected by the deadly disease. The construction of the first hospital has already started with 35 diggers and 10 bulldozers reaching the site of the construction on Thursday night. The hospital that will be erected on a 25,000-square-metre lot is supposed to be completed in a record time of 10 days if the state municipal corporation is to be believed.

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Chinese state media reported that authorities have expanded its travel ban to 13 cities, out of which 12 are in the Hubei province, where the disease is believed to have started. The travel ban came before the Chinese Lunar Year in fear that the transmission rate will accelerate due to increased travel during the holiday season. 

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