i) Caixin reported that by February 21, China's patient count had climbed to 75,567 and the death toll had reached 2,239. Outside China, 1,153 confirmed cases and eight deaths were reported in 26 countries.

ii) Caixin reported that Zeng Yixin, Deputy Chief of China's National Health Commission, told a press conference on February 19, that researchers found that 3,019 medical workers had been infected, among whom 1,688 patients were in severe or critical condition. As of February 11, the government acknowledged more than 1,700 medical workers nationwide as confirmed with the disease, almost 90% of them in Hubei.  Researchers found the overall death rate among confirmed cases was 2.3%.  In Hubei province, the epicenter of epidemic, the pace of fatalities was 2.9%, compared with 0.4% in the rest of the country. It said for patients more than 80 years old, the fatality rate can be as high as 14.8%. 

iii) Wang Chen, a renowned respiratory expert and vice president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday that outbreaks of the disease known as Covid-19 could keep occurring in the future in a similar way to seasonal flu. He said officials should prepare for the possibility that the deadly new coronavirus may continue to infect people in the long term.







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