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DPA
Hong Kong
A senior public health expert in Hong Kong said Monday that the real number of people affected by the new coronavirus is likely close to 25,000 - significantly higher than the 2,744 cases confirmed by China’s National Health Commission.
Speaking at a press conference, Gabriel Leung - head of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong - said that his team’s research indicated that there were likely around 44,000 cases in the incubation stage.
Leung, who advises the Hong Kong government on preparedness in response to disease, said his team expects the case count to continue to “double every six days in the absence of any public health intervention.” He said research indicates the peak of the outbreak will hit major cities like Beijing and Shanghai hit their peak in April or May before dying down in June or July.
Leung said though there have been no conclusive studies on how the virus spreads, its infectability appears to resemble Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), meaning that people can infect others while in the incubation period or just beginning to show symptoms.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that residents of Hubei province and non-Hong Kong citizens found to have visited the province after January 12 would not be allowed entry to Hong Kong as of January 27.
Hong Kong
A senior public health expert in Hong Kong said Monday that the real number of people affected by the new coronavirus is likely close to 25,000 - significantly higher than the 2,744 cases confirmed by China’s National Health Commission.
Speaking at a press conference, Gabriel Leung - head of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong - said that his team’s research indicated that there were likely around 44,000 cases in the incubation stage.
Leung, who advises the Hong Kong government on preparedness in response to disease, said his team expects the case count to continue to “double every six days in the absence of any public health intervention.” He said research indicates the peak of the outbreak will hit major cities like Beijing and Shanghai hit their peak in April or May before dying down in June or July.
Leung said though there have been no conclusive studies on how the virus spreads, its infectability appears to resemble Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), meaning that people can infect others while in the incubation period or just beginning to show symptoms.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that residents of Hubei province and non-Hong Kong citizens found to have visited the province after January 12 would not be allowed entry to Hong Kong as of January 27.
