Nurse treating coronavirus sufferers in China claims 90,000 people have already been infected

A nurse wearing a protective suit and face mask treating the sick in Wuhan has claimed that 90,000 people have already been infected by the coronavirus in China – far more than the figure of just 1,400 issued by government officials.

Her warning from the heart of the outbreak emerged as the Chinese government faced accusations of censoring criticism of its handling of the disease in order to play down the crisis.

Speaking in video footage seen online, the unnamed woman says: ‘I’m in the area where the coronavirus started. I’m here to tell the truth. At this moment, Hubei province, including Wuhan area, even China, 90,000 people have been infected by coronavirus.’

She also called on foreign governments to send further aid to China, to help it contain the outbreak

The unnamed woman issued the warning in a social media video, saying she is working in Hubei province which includes the Wuhan area

The woman also advised everyone in Wuhan not to go outside, in order to avoid them being infected with the virus...

...and asked for more equipment to be sent to the city

The woman also advised everyone in Wuhan not to go outside, in order to avoid them being infected with the virus, and asked for more equipment to be sent to the city

Despite China being initially praised for its transparency in managing the situation, critics have now claimed that officials are scrubbing the internet of videos that reveal the true situation.

However, the nurse’s report has been viewed almost two million times on YouTube. In the footage, she warns people not to go outside and to refrain from celebrating the Chinese New Year.

She said: ‘I would like to say that everyone who is currently watching this video should not go outside. Don’t party. Do not eat out. Once a year, we celebrate Chinese New Year. If you are safe now, you will be able to meet your family again healthy next year.’

Making a desperate plea for supplies, she said: ‘We don’t care what the government says. I will tell you through social media. Everyone, please donate masks, glasses and clothes to Wuhan.

‘Please help us. Please donate disposable goggles, disposable masks and disposable clothing. Currently our resources are not enough.’

China's government has faced criticism for censoring the number infected. Pictured above is the Wuhan Huanan South China seafood market where it is believed coronavirus may have made the jump to humans

China’s government has faced criticism for censoring the number infected. Pictured above is the Wuhan Huanan South China seafood market where it is believed coronavirus may have made the jump to humans

A patient is treated for coronavirus in Wuhan Red Cross Hospital today. Sufferers have reportedly collapsed in the street due to the infection

A patient is treated for coronavirus in Wuhan Red Cross Hospital today. Sufferers have reportedly collapsed in the street due to the infection

Horrifying clips have been posted online by shocked citizens only to be deleted shortly after. In one, the sick are seen sitting between drips and oxygen tanks next to three dead bodies covered in white sheets. The footage was deleted from social media channel Weibo.

Last week, in rare public dissent, a senior journalist at a Hubei provincial newspaper run by the ruling Communist Party called for an ‘immediate’ change of leadership in Wuhan on Weibo. The post was later removed. 

The People’s Daily, a state-owned newspaper, posted a video of an apparently cured patient flashing the peace sign alongside four medics. 

But the Global Times revealed that vital resources, including masks and goggles, were urgently needed.

Critics have also claimed that many health experts who would have been able to warn the government at an early stage of the dangers of coronavirus have been detained or had their research stopped because they were not working within the Chinese state.

The accusations of a cover-up echo the furore surrounding the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic in 2002 when the government concealed the existence of the illness not just from the outside world but from its own people.

This map shows all the areas where coronavirus has been identified so far, including France

This map shows all the areas where coronavirus has been identified so far, including France

A patient on a drip in the intensive care unit of Zhongnan Hospital at the University of Wuhan

A patient on a drip in the intensive care unit of Zhongnan Hospital at the University of Wuhan

Cities across America are on high alert amid the escalating coronavirus crisis as 63 people in 22 states are suspected to have contracted the deadly strain. The map above shows confirmed and suspected cases in the US

Cities across America are on high alert amid the escalating coronavirus crisis as 63 people in 22 states are suspected to have contracted the deadly strain. The map above shows confirmed and suspected cases in the US

Newspapers were forbidden from reporting the disease other than occasional statements from government officials reassuring the public there was nothing to worry about.

The state put such effort into suppressing negative headlines that when an ill traveller from Guangdong arrived in Beijing, doctors had no idea what he was suffering from.

China’s president Xi Jinping warns of ‘grave situation’ as killer coronavirus accelerates, doctor dies and US evacuates its citizens from hotspot Wuhan after death toll jumps to 42 with 1,372 cases and 56 million on lockdown 

The deadly coronavirus is ‘accelerating’ and China is facing a ‘grave situation’, the country’s president has said – as at least one doctor has died from the virus and the US prepares to evacuate citizens from crisis-hit Wuhan. 

The virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan, already on lockdown and where the virus is thought to have originated, banned most vehicle use downtown and Hong Kong said it would close schools for two weeks as authorities scramble to stop the spread of an illness that has infected more than 1,400 people worldwide and killed 42. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke following an emergency government meeting to warn that the spread of the killer virus is worsening, as video emerged showing medics collapsing at hospitals in the capital of central China’s Hubei province as the coronavirus outbreak continues to move across the world.

As of 8 pm local time (1200 GMT) on Saturday, the death toll in China had risen to 42, authorities reported. Some 1,372 people in China had been infected with the virus – traced to a seafood market in Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife.

The virus has also been detected in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Nepal, and the United States.

China's president Xi Jinping has warned the virus is accelerating as Chinese cities remains on lock down. A patient is pictured above being rushed to Red Cross hospital in Wuhan today. People have been pictured lying in the street after collapsing

China’s president Xi Jinping has warned the virus is accelerating as Chinese cities remains on lock down. A patient is pictured above being rushed to Red Cross hospital in Wuhan today. People have been pictured lying in the street after collapsing 

Coronavirus is now reported to have infected more than 1,280 people in several countries. (Medical staff wearing protective gear in Wuhan Red Cross Hospital today)

Coronavirus is now reported to have infected more than 1,280 people in several countries. (Medical staff wearing protective gear in Wuhan Red Cross Hospital today)

Passengers pictured arriving at Heathrow airport wearing face masks. The virus has not yet reached the UK, according to medical professionals, although cases have been recorded in neighbouring France

Passengers pictured arriving at Heathrow airport wearing face masks. The virus has not yet reached the UK, according to medical professionals, although cases have been recorded in neighbouring France

People wearing face masks to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, are seen at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan (pictured, patients line up along the corridor)

People wearing face masks to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, are seen at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan (pictured, patients line up along the corridor) 

China's President Xi Jinping addressed the nation today (pictured) and said: 'It is necessary to strengthen the centralised and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee'

China’s President Xi Jinping addressed the nation today (pictured) and said: ‘It is necessary to strengthen the centralised and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee’

State-run China Global Television Network reported in a tweet that a doctor who had been treating patients in Wuhan, 62-year-old Liang Wudong (pictured), had died from the virus

China's National Health Commission said on Saturday it had formed six medical teams totalling 1,230 medical staff to help Wuhan. Three of the six teams, from Shanghai, Guangdong and military hospitals have arrived in Wuhan (pictured, medics treat patients in Wuhan Central Hospital this week)

State-run China Global Television Network reported in a tweet that a doctor who had been treating patients in Wuhan, 62-year-old Liang Wudong (left), had died from the virus. It was not immediately clear if his death was already counted in the official toll of 41, of which 39 were in the central province of Hubei, where Wuhan is located (right, doctors donning white boiler suits treat patients at Wuhan Central Hospital) 

Photos from inside the intensive care unit at Zhongnan Hospital in Wuhan show medical workers caring for critically-ill patients this week

Photos from inside the intensive care unit at Zhongnan Hospital in Wuhan show medical workers caring for critically-ill patients this week

‘Faced with the grave situation of an accelerating spread of the new coronavirus […] it is necessary to strengthen the centralised and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee,’ Xi said, according to official news agency Xinhua.

It comes as Liang Wudong, 62, who had been treating patients in Wuhan, died from the virus this morning, state-run China Global Television Network reported.

Wudong, who was retired but drafted in to help with the outbreak, died after time spent treating patients. It was also reported that another doctor, Jiang Jijun, has died from a heart attack while treating the afflicted. 

It is unknown if the infectious disease specialist, who has treated bird flu and influenza A and tuberculosis over the years, died as a result of coronavirus or from exhaustion.  

And the US, which has around 1,000 citizens in the city, is set to evacuate those it knows about – including diplomats – on a 230 seater charter flight tomorrow. 

The US government won approval for the operation from China’s Foreign Ministry and other government agencies following negotiations in recent days, The Wall Street Journal reports. The British Foreign Ministry is yet to confirm whether it will do the same.

Also today, distressing video has emerged showing a doctor collapsing on the floor as footage revealed the full scale of panic inside Wuhan hospitals, with crowded corridors and patients slumped on the floor.

Video shows staff shouting at patients to calm themselves as medics desperately try to contain the situation. Some workers are reported to be wearing diapers as they don’t have time to use the toilet amid the panic.

Some 56 million people are now subject to restrictions on their movement as authorities expand travel bans in central Hubei province, now affecting 18 cities.   

Other shocking developments in the outbreak today include: 

  • China’s National Health Commission said it had formed six medical teams totalling 1,230 medical staff to help  
  • Videos from inside Chinese hospitals show patients crammed into overcrowded corridors and laid on the floor   
  • Global airports have stepped up screening of passengers from China, though some have questioned its worth
  • China says virus is mutating and can be transmitted through human contact, mostly affecting the frail and old 
  • Shanghai has shut all cinemas until 30 January in a desperate bid to try and stop the spread of the killer virus
  • Wuhan will impose ban on non-essential vehicles in downtown area from January 26 to contain virus outbreak
  • Hong Kong declares a virus emergency announcing a series of measures to limit city’s links with mainland China
  • Starbucks said it was closing all outlets in Hubei province, following a similar move by McDonald’s in five cities
  • Yum China Holdings Inc said it has temporarily closed some of its KFC and Pizza Hut stores in Wuhan as a result
  • All overseas group tour services, including hotel and plane bookings, from Chinese travel firms to be suspended 

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has declared a virus emergency in the Asian financial hub, announcing a package of measures to limit the city’s links with mainland China.

Schools, now on Lunar New Year holidays, would remain shut until February 17, while inbound and outbound flights and high speed rail trips between Hong Kong and Wuhan would be halted.

China’s National Health Commission has announced it had formed six medical teams totalling 1,230 medical staff to help Wuhan. Three of the six teams, from Shanghai, Guangdong and military hospitals have arrived in Wuhan.

Did China pressure World Health Organisation not to declare international emergency?  

China’s status as a major superpower may have influenced the World Health Organisation’s decision not to declare coronavirus an international emergency, experts have warned. 

More than 1,300 people have been infected globally with the virus traced to a seafood market in the central city of Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife.

Despite this, the WHO has failed to declare a global health crisis. On Thursday the organisation said it was ‘too early’ for such a decision but added an emergency could still be declared if the outbreak continues to spread. 

‘This should not be taken as a sign that we don’t think the outbreak is serious, or that we are not taking it seriously,’ said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 

‘Nothing could be further from the truth.’ 

Now, baffled experts have warned that their decision may have been influenced by China. 

Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, told The Daily Telegraph: ‘The criteria for declaring a public health emergency of international concern have been met.’

 But ‘not all WHO decisions are made based on the developments in the biological world,’ he added.

China will suspend both domestic and overseas Chinese group tours, state media reported today, as it ramps up efforts to contain the new SARS-like virus.

Starting on Monday, all overseas group tour services, including hotel and plane ticket bookings, from Chinese travel agencies will be suspended, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Domestic tour groups were suspended from Friday, it said.  

Wuhan, a city of 11 million, has been in virtual lockdown since Thursday, with nearly all flights at the airport cancelled and checkpoints blocking the main roads leading out of town. Authorities have since imposed transport restrictions on nearly all of Hubei province, which has a population of 59 million.

In Beijing today, workers in white protective suits checked temperatures of passengers entering the subway at the central railway station, while some train services in eastern China’s Yangtze River Delta region were suspended, the local railway operator said.

The number of confirmed cases in China stands at 1,287, the National Health Commission said today.

U.S. coffee chain Starbucks said on Saturday that it was closing all its outlets in Hubei province for the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, following a similar move by McDonald’s in five Hubei cities.  

Yum China Holdings Inc said it has temporarily closed some of its KFC and Pizza Hut stores in Wuhan in response to the coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese city.

‘We will continue to evaluate the need for additional actions and preventive health measures,’ Yum China said in an emailed statement.

The virus has also been detected in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Nepal, Malaysia, France, the United States and Australia.

Australia on Saturday announced its first case of coronavirus, a Chinese national in his 50s, who had been in Wuhan and arrived from China on Jan. 19 on a flight from Guangzhou. He is in stable condition in a Melbourne hospital.

‘Given the number of cases that have been found outside of China and the significant traffic from Wuhan city in the past to Australia, it was not unexpected that we would get some cases,’ Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy told a news conference.

‘This is the first confirmed case. There are other cases being tested each day, many of them are negative, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we had further confirmed cases.’ 

Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, walk at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in China

Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, walk at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in China

The new virus comes from a large family of what are known as coronaviruses, some causing nothing worse than a cold. It causes cold- and flu-like symptoms, including cough and fever and, in more severe case, shortness of breath. It can worsen to pneumonia, which can be fatal. Most of China's provinces and cities activated a Level 1 public health alert, the highest in a four-tier system, the state-owned China Daily newspaper reported Saturday (pictured, medics at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital)

The new virus comes from a large family of what are known as coronaviruses, some causing nothing worse than a cold. It causes cold- and flu-like symptoms, including cough and fever and, in more severe case, shortness of breath. It can worsen to pneumonia, which can be fatal. Most of China’s provinces and cities activated a Level 1 public health alert, the highest in a four-tier system, the state-owned China Daily newspaper reported Saturday (pictured, medics at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital)

The world's most populous country scrambled to contain the disease that has already infected nearly 1,300 people, building a second field hospital to relieve overwhelmed medical facilities and closing more travel routes as the country marked the Lunar New Year holiday (pictured, residents bulk buy supplies amid the outbreak)

The world’s most populous country scrambled to contain the disease that has already infected nearly 1,300 people, building a second field hospital to relieve overwhelmed medical facilities and closing more travel routes as the country marked the Lunar New Year holiday (pictured, residents bulk buy supplies amid the outbreak)

Photographs show patients undergoing treatment at Wuhan Central Hospital as it has emerged the death toll has jumped to 41 with 1,281 cases and 56m people on lockdown across 18 Chinese cities

Photographs show patients undergoing treatment at Wuhan Central Hospital as it has emerged the death toll has jumped to 41 with 1,281 cases and 56m people on lockdown across 18 Chinese cities

Distressing video has emerged showing a doctor collapsing on the floor as footage revealed the full scale of panic inside Wuhan hospitals, with crowded corridors and patients slumped on the floor

Video shows staff shouting at patients to calm themselves as medics desperately try to contain the situation. Some workers are reported to be wearing diapers as they don't have time to use the toilet amid the panic

Distressing video has emerged showing a doctor collapsing on the floor as footage revealed the full scale of panic inside Wuhan hospitals, with crowded corridors and patients slumped on the floor. Video shows staff shouting at patients to calm themselves as medics desperately try to contain the situation. Some workers are reported to be wearing diapers as they don’t have time to use the toilet amid the panic

Hong Kong on Saturday declared a new coronavirus outbreak as an "emergency" - the city's highest warning tier - as authorities ramped up measures to reduce the risk of further infections. The announcement came as city leader Carrie Lam faced criticism in some quarters over her administration's response to the crisis (pictured, health surveillance officers use temperature scanner to monitor passengers arriving at Hong Kong International Airport in today)

Hong Kong on Saturday declared a new coronavirus outbreak as an ’emergency’ – the city’s highest warning tier – as authorities ramped up measures to reduce the risk of further infections. The announcement came as city leader Carrie Lam faced criticism in some quarters over her administration’s response to the crisis (pictured, health surveillance officers use temperature scanner to monitor passengers arriving at Hong Kong International Airport in today)

Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, walk at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan

Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, walk at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan

In Beijing today, workers in white protective suits checked temperatures of passengers entering the subway at the central railway station, while some train services in eastern China's Yangtze River Delta region were suspended, the local railway operator said

In Beijing today, workers in white protective suits checked temperatures of passengers entering the subway at the central railway station, while some train services in eastern China’s Yangtze River Delta region were suspended, the local railway operator said

Medical workers of Army Medical University assemble before leaving for Wuhan in southwest China's Chongqing last night

Medical workers of Army Medical University assemble before leaving for Wuhan in southwest China’s Chongqing last night

People wearing face masks walk past luxury boutiques in the Sanlitun shopping district in Beijing, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus today

People wearing face masks walk past luxury boutiques in the Sanlitun shopping district in Beijing, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus today

Workers take the body temperature of passengers before they enter the subway station outside Beijing Railway Station today. Some 56 million people are now subject to restrictions on their movement as authorities expand travel bans in central Hubei province, now affecting 18 cities

Workers take the body temperature of passengers before they enter the subway station outside Beijing Railway Station today. Some 56 million people are now subject to restrictions on their movement as authorities expand travel bans in central Hubei province, now affecting 18 cities

People wearing face masks to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, wait for medical attention at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan today

People wearing face masks to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, wait for medical attention at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan today

People wear face masks as they select products in a supermarket in Beijing, China amid coronavirus today

People wear face masks as they select products in a supermarket in Beijing, China amid coronavirus today

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam takes part in a press conference in Hong Kong. She declared a mystery virus outbreak as an "emergency" -- the city's highest warning tier

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam takes part in a press conference in Hong Kong. She declared a mystery virus outbreak as an ’emergency’ — the city’s highest warning tier

People wear face masks as they line up at the checkout in a supermarket in Beijing, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus

People wear face masks as they line up at the checkout in a supermarket in Beijing, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday it had 63 patients under investigation, with two confirmed cases, both in people who had travelled to Wuhan.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus an ’emergency in China’ this week but stopped short of declaring it of international concern.

Human-to-human transmission has been observed in the virus.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE CORONAVIRUS?

Once someone has caught the virus it may take between two and 14 days for them to show any symptoms.

If and when they do, typical signs include:

  • a runny nose
  • a cough
  • sore throat
  • fever (high temperature)

The vast majority of patients – at least 97 per cent, based on available data – will recover from these without any issues or medical help.

In a small group of patients, who seem mainly to be the elderly or those with long-term illnesses, it can lead to pneumonia. 

Pneumonia is an infection in which the insides of the lungs swell up and fill with fluid. It makes it increasingly difficult to breathe and, if left untreated, can be fatal and suffocate people. 

China’s National Health Commission said on Saturday it had formed six medical teams totalling 1,230 medical staff to help Wuhan. Three of the six teams, from Shanghai, Guangdong and military hospitals have arrived in Wuhan.

Hubei province, where authorities are rushing to build a 1,000 bed hospital in six days to treat patients, announced on Saturday that there were 658 patients affected by the virus in treatment, 57 of whom were critically ill. 

The newly-identified coronavirus has created alarm because there are still many unknowns surrounding it, such as how dangerous it is and how easily it spreads between people. It can cause pneumonia, which has been deadly in some cases.

Symptoms include fever, difficulty breathing and coughing. Most of the fatalities have been in elderly patients, many with pre-existing conditions, the WHO said. 

It comes as residents of the Chinese city at the centre of the country’s coronavirus crisis fear they are ‘trapped’ and will all be infected because of the government lockdown which has stopped anyone from leaving. 

Authorities yesterday scrambled to shut tourist attractions and public transport systems in 14 cities in a bid to stop the spread of the deadly new coronavirus that has killed at least 41 people and infected more than 1,200.

In a drastic turn of events, part of the Great Wall of China and Disneyland in Shanghai were closed yesterday as authorities desperately try to stop people spreading the Wuhan coronavirus.

Thirteen cities, home to around 40million people, are reported to have followed Wuhan’s example and gone into some form of lockdown in the past 24 hours with public transport halted and roads closed.

A man living in Wuhan yesterday told MailOnline people there are ‘all trapped’ and and he fears he and his family will become infected if they aren’t allowed to leave the city.   

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