Coronavirus rises like never before: more than 240 dead in 24 hours

The number of fatalities caused by the new coronavirus in the Chinese province of Hubei, the center of the epidemic, has increased to 242 in the last 24 hours and more than doubled from the previous day.

The death toll recorded in the past 24 hours in Hubei exceeds the previous death toll (103), recorded on 10 February. The total death toll in the province is now 1310, according to local health officials.

In the past 24 hours, until midnight on Wednesday (local time), authorities recorded an additional 14,000 new cases of infection in Hubei, whose capital is the city of Wuhan.

Increase in confirmed cases due to new methodology

The increase in the number of cases is due to a new broader definition of infection, said the Hubei Provincial Health Commission, cited by the France-Presse news agency. This is because a chest X-ray of suspected cases may be considered sufficient to diagnose the virus, rather than standard nucleic acid tests.

This new methodology makes it possible to provide treatment to patients “as soon as possible” and “be consistent” with the classification used in other Chinese provinces, he explained. “Our understanding of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus is deepening and we are accumulating experience in diagnosis and treatment,” stressed the authorities.

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