ST. PETERSBURG, January 23. /TASS/. The third Chinese national who has been taken to hospital in St. Petersburg on suspicion of coronavirus sought medical care herself. An express test revealed that she has Type A influenza, Russia’s consumer watchdog St. Petersburg branch told TASS.
"The Chinese national arrived from Moscow to St. Petersburg on January 20 as part of a group. She felt unwell in the evening and sought help in a hotel medical post with <…> fever of 37.9 and weakness. She was taken to hospital for a checkup with a preliminary diagnosis of acute respiratory viral infection. The express test showed that she has a Type A flu," the agency said.
St. Petersburg’s healthcare committee announced that the third patient, Chinese national, was rushed to hospital on January 23 from her hotel after she complained of high temperature and signs of intoxication. She is receiving anti-flu treatment. Two other patients who were hospitalized on January 22 are stable. They are treated for acute respiratory viral infection, the committee added.
On Wednesday evening, reports emerged that two people were hospitalized, one of which was taken to hospital from St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport straight after arrival from China, while the other - Chinese student - arrived in the city from China a week ago. Russia’s consumer watchdog St. Petersburg branch noted that all three patients had their samples taken and sent to an agency-certified laboratory for further testing that identified their diagnoses and determined that they had not contracted the coronavirus.
Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV
On December 31, Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization about an outbreak of an unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhah in central China. On January 7, Chinese experts identified the infecting agent - coronavirus 2019-nCoV. All cases of the suspected pneumonia were lab tested. As a result, infecting agents of such diseases as flu, bird flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) were excluded from the list of possible pathogens.
Chinese authorities have confirmed 473 cases with 17 deaths caused by the virus. Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV is detected in Wuhan, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and other cities across the country.
Isolated cases of the new pneumonia were reported in Japan, South Korea and Thailand.
Russia’s Deputy Health Minister Sergei Krayevoy previously told TASS that the ministry had launched process to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus and is now engaged in talks with Chinese scientists to obtain biological material to proceed with the vaccine.