70% of coronavirus patients in China have recovered: Reports

As the number of coronavirus cases across the world has surged, China is inching towards normalcy. According to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report, over 70 per cent of patients in that country have recovered from the disease, which has killed more than 4,000 people globally.

Officials at the World Health Organization said on Monday that of about 80,000 people who were infected by COVID-19 in China, more than 56,000 had recovered and had been discharged from hospital, according to a Xinhua report.

Patients in China are typically released on testing negative twice within 24 hours, which would indicate that they no longer carry the virus. Other countries are using different screening methods including CT scans and monitoring respiration.

WHO said it could take considerably longer for people to “recover,” keeping in mind the severity of the disease, according to media reports.

The Emergency Chief of WHO, Dr. Mike Ryan, told the media that it can take up to six weeks for people to fully recover from COVID-19 infection, symptoms of which include pneumonia and other respiratory problems in critical cases. He said despite asking every country to reveal information on its coronavirus cases, WHO had not been provided the data systematically.

Xi Jinping visits Wuhan

Meanwhile, China’s President Xi Jinping paid a visit to Wuhan on Tuesday, the epicentre of the pandemic. This is the Chinese leader’s first visit to the region since the outbreak. According to a New York Times report, the President’s visit signals that the government believes the worst of the national emergency is over.

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