February 4 coronavirus news

China's propaganda authorities have struggled with how to handle the Wuhan coronavirus, perhaps the biggest domestic crisis to face President Xi Jinping since he assumed power.

Knee-jerk censorship and downplaying of any danger by local authorities in the days and weeks which followed the first diagnoses appear to have greatly increased the spread of the virus. Xi himself has been largely missing from front pages and news reports in recent days, even as state media has been clear to emphasize that he is working away in the background and directing the national response.

The most likely explanation for this is that the authorities are keen to ensure that Xi does not become the focus of the public's anger and frustration, and can instead be framed as the person to take charge and solve the crisis.

That shift in the narrative has begun this week, as state media has played up positive stories -- particularly about a hospital built in Wuhan in less than a week -- and emphasized Xi's personal control of the crisis.

According to a report by state news agency Xinhua, in a meeting Monday Xi "demanded resolute opposition against bureaucratism and the practice of formalities for formalities' sake in the prevention work."

As well as working to contain the virus and provide relief, however, another key point officials need to keep in mind, Xi said, was "public opinion guidance," which would "better strengthen confidence, warm people's hearts, and gather people's hearts."

Rui Zhong, a China expert at the Wilson Center, told CNN that she understands the value of boosting positive stories so that people, especially those under lockdown for weeks, don't despair. However, she expressed concern that a desire to avoid negative coverage may lead to very real problems being ignored.

"(I'm) really worried that the stories of people struggling to get resources or (coronavirus) treatment will take a back seat to the ever present priority of political stability, positive energy, etc," she said.

"Since the quarantine is challenging people's endurance, maintaining long-term social confidence is probably a top priority (for the government)."

Authorities in Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus outbreak began, are building three additional new field hospitals to help respond to the crisis, state-run newspaper Changjiang Daily reported Monday.

Existing spaces, including a stadium and exhibition hall, will be converted into the hospitals, located in the city's Jianghan, Wuchang, and Dongxihu Districts.

These are just the latest in a series of specially-built coronavirus-focused hospitals in Wuhan. One new hospital, Huoshenshan Hospital, was handed to the military to begin operations on Monday and a second facility, the Leishenshan Hospital, is due to be complete this week -- both built in a matter of days.

On December 30, Li Wenliang dropped a bombshell in his medical school alumni group on the popular Chinese messaging app WeChat: seven patients from a local seafood market had been diagnosed with an illness similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and quarantined in his hospital.

"I only wanted to remind my university classmates to be careful," Li said.

But within hours, screenshots of his messages -- containing his name -- went viral. Soon after, Li became one of several whistleblower medics targeted by Wuhan police.

From an intensive care bed in hospital, Li told CNN he was confirmed Saturday to have contracted the virus.

His diagnosis has sparked outrage across China, where a backlash is growing against state censorship around the illness and an initial delay in warning the public about the deadly virus.

Here's a look at how things unfolded:

Read more about Li and the public uproar here.

A 1-month-old baby girl in China's southwestern Guizhou province has been diagnosed with the Wuhan coronavirus, Guizhou’s health commission confirmed in a news release.

The baby had come to Guizhou from another province, and is currently living in the provincial capital of Guiyang, according to the news release. She was diagnosed yesterday, and is currently being treated in isolation at the People's Hospital of Guizhou Province.

Her condition is stable, the news release said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has dismissed rumors circulating online that the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo would be cancelled over the coronavirus outbreak.

He added the government was in close contact with international bodies like the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Olympics are scheduled to start on July 24. Japan has so far confirmed 20 coronavirus cases.

Online rumors: Rumors of a potential cancellation grew after a German news outlet published a story about discussions between the IOC and WHO.

“Countermeasures against infectious diseases constitute an important part of our plans to host a safe and secure Games,” Olympics organizers told CNN in a statement. 

Chicago's mayor is the latest of several state leaders to criticize the federal government’s new travel and quarantine rules as opaque and confusing.

She also questioned guidelines about quarantine procedures -- for instance, what does self-quarantining mean? How often should self-quarantined people check in with public health officials? These are questions the federal government need to answer clearly and specifically, she said.

"Despite this lack of clarity from federal leadership, Chicago remains prepared to implement the latest guidelines to protect our residents from coronavirus," she said.

New measures in Chicago: Local authorities have added additional screenings at Chicago's O’Hare Airport, are partnering with airlines and the CDC, and mobilizing first responders, among other new measures to respond to the outbreak, Lightfoot said.

Total cases nationwide: As of February 3, the US had confirmed 11 cases of the coronavirus.

Japan has quarantined a cruise ship that arrived at a port in Yokohama on Monday evening after a former passenger was found infected with Wuhan coronavirus on Saturday. 

The passenger: The 80-year-old man had visited mainland China for a few hours on January 10, but was not exposed to any wild animals or wet markets. He then flew from Hong Kong to Tokyo on January 17.

He reportedly started coughing on January 19. On January 20, he boarded the Diamond Princess cruise in Yokohama, and disembarked in Hong Kong on January 25.

He sought medical care on January 30 after he started experiencing fever symptoms. He is currently in a stable condition. 

Quarantine on cruise: The ship is currently quarantined for 24 hours. 

Japanese authorities are working to identify the identities of passengers and crew who came into contact with the infected passenger. Quarantine officers are checking the health of all 2,666 passengers of different nationalities and 1,045 crew members onboard.

Several people on the ship said they felt ill, were tested for the virus, and are in separate rooms to avoid contact with each other.

The cruise ship also made stops at Kagoshima in Japan,  Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, and Okinawa before docking in Yokohama.

South Korea confirmed its 16th case of the Wuhan coronavirus today, according to Kim Gang-lip, the country's Health and Welfare vice minister.

Macao also confirmed its 9th case of Wuhan coronavirus. The patient is a 29-year-old female resident of Macao, according to a statement from Macao's Health Bureau.

The woman had not traveled outside of Macao recently, but is said to have visited the home of the 8th reported case on January 24.

A “large number” of hospital staff in Hong Kong are absent today due to a labor union strike, said the city's Hospital Authority.

Why they're striking: The Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, a medical workers' union with over 13,000 members, began striking on Monday to demand the government completely close all borders with China.

As the group and the authorities failed to reach a compromise, the group kicked off the second stage of strike on Tuesday to further limit services.

The move comes as Hong Kong announced the death of a 39-year-old man from the Wuhan coronavirus on Tuesday. The man had previously visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. To date, Hong Kong has recorded a total of 15 confirmed coronavirus cases.

What this means: Emergency services in public hospitals have been “affected to a certain extent” by the strike, said the Hospital Authority.

Public hospitals now only have “limited number of staff on duty” to provide emergency services, while specialist outpatient clinics can only provide “limited services.” The authorities advised patients to reschedule appointments.

Government response: Chief Executive Carrie Lam criticized the strike, saying critical patients like cancer patients still needed their services. Now, medical staff who are still working will have heavier workloads because of the strike, she said.

The government has already imposed several travel restrictions and closed many borders with the mainland; only three crossing points, including the city's international airport, remain open.

Closing all borders would also mean shutting out Hong Kong residents traveling in the mainland, who would be stranded and unable to return home, Lam said.