Coronavirus: Chinese health experts warn patients can get reinfected
- China starts repatriating people to Wuhan as death toll hits 213
- US advises against travel to the country after World Health Organisation’s declaration of a global public health emergency
A total of 1,982 new cases were confirmed on the mainland on Thursday, bringing the country’s total to 9,692, far exceeding that of the 2002-03 Sars epidemic, which killed almost 800 people worldwide.
No more square-dancing
Medical experts on Friday warned that patients who had recovered from the virus were still at risk of being infected again, and said people should avoid any mass gathering, even dancing in public parks and squares – a popular activity for exercise in China.
Zhan Qingyuan, head of infectious diseases at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, said in a press briefing on Friday that people who had already had the virus would have developed antibodies but should remain on alert so they did not get ill again.
“The antibodies may not remain for a long time, so there is still a risk that these recovered patients will be infected again,” Zhan said. “They should continue to keep themselves protected.”
The National Health Commission said 47 patients had recovered from the virus on Thursday.