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China will fully vanquish novel coronavirus by late March, ambassador says

According to the ambassador, 99% of novel coronavirus cases have been recorded in China
Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui Vladimir Gerdo/TASS
Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui
© Vladimir Gerdo/TASS

MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. The Chinese authorities will be able to win the battle against the novel coronavirus throughout the country by the end of March, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said on Friday.

"We can emerge victorious in the battle against that virus. In addition to Hubei province, we can win that victory in other regions as early as this month, while in the epicenter of the epidemic, we could completely eliminate that virus throughout China within next month," he said at a meeting with First Deputy Speaker of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) Ivan Melnikov.

According to the ambassador, 99% of novel coronavirus cases have been recorded in China. "To date, more than 18,000 people have been discharged from hospitals. In many provinces and regions, except the central part, there have been no new infection cases for more than 10 days. In Hubei province, especially in the city of Wuhan, the number of infected people is declining," he pointed out.

The diplomat noted that the novel coronavirus mortality rate was relatively low. "In Hubei province, it is about two-plus percent, and throughout the country just 0.55%. We are able to control the situation," he added.

He also reaffirmed Beijing’s willingness to intensify cooperation with Russian partners in healthcare and in the fight against foreign meddling in both countries’ domestic affairs.

The outbreak of the now-infamous novel coronavirus pneumonia was recorded in Wuhan, an economic and industrial metropolis, in late December 2019. The World Health Organization has declared it a public health emergency of international concern, describing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. Apart from China, 25 other countries, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.

According to the latest data, the death toll in China has climbed to 2,239, more than 18,300 patients have recovered, while the number of infected people has almost reached 75,600.