President Xi: the spread of the new corona virus is accelerating

The corona virus has caused unprecedented chaos in the Chinese metropolis of Wuhan. Images show sick people who are lying unconscious in the street. More than 1300 people worldwide have been infected with the virus, including in France, the US and Japan. There are already 41 deaths in China. Follow the live blog here about the developments in the epidemic.

Thirteen cities in China are cut off from the outside world, so more than 43 million inhabitants live in quarantine. This while today is the Chinese New Year, normally a festive time when people travel a lot to visit relatives. Large cities have canceled the celebrations for fear of contagion.

The hospitals in Wuhan have great difficulty treating the many infected residents with the corona virus. There are not enough hospitals to take care of the sick, there are not enough beds in the departments, not enough doctors and nurses, and not enough protective masks and gloves. The supply of medical supplies is also insufficient.

The Chinese Health Commission has now sent 1230 medical staff to Wuhan, authorities say. Half of them have already started. The Ministry of Industry has supplied 14,000 protective suits. Earlier it was reported that the army had sent 450 doctors and nurses to Wuhan.

The authorities in China have warned that the SARS-like virus could mutate and spread further. At present, the virus appears less deadly and contagious than SARS and MERS, other viruses from the corona family.