A second person has died from the mystery virus in China amid fears the lethal outbreak may spread globally, officials have said.
The 69-year-old man, known only as Xiong, died in the early hours of January 15 at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan city.
He had been admitted to hospital on December 31 with symptoms of the virus, officials at Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said.
Medical treatment failed to save him after his health deteriorated on January 4, local media claims.
A total of 41 patients in Wuhan have been struck with pneumonia caused by the virus since December. The first death, on January 9, was a man aged 61.
The news comes after Japan confirmed its first case of infection from the new virus – a man in his 30s from Tokyo who had recently visited Wuhan.
It was the second time the virus has been detected outside China, after the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed a case in Thailand.
A second person has died from the mystery virus in Wuhan city, China
Since two cases have been identified outside the country, the WHO has warned hospitals worldwide to prepare for a potential global spread.
The virus has never been seen before and has not yet been named. Officials have described it as being ‘novel’.
Tests have so far shown it is a new type of coronavirus from the same family as the deadly SARS pathogen.
Forty-one cases have been contained in the Chinese city of Wuhan since December and dozens more have been hospitalised as suspected patients.
Among the 41 confirmed cases, 12 people have recovered and been discharged, five people are serious and under treatment, two people have died and the rest are in stable condition.
A statement revealed today that a second death was declared at 12.45am on January 15 after medical treatment failed to treat him.
Xiong, whose second name has not been revealed, fell ill on December 31, 2019. His condition worsened on January 4 and he was transferred to the Jinyintan Hospital of Wuhan.
He had severe cardiomyopathy – a heart condition – abnormal kidney function, and seriously damaged organs while hospitalised. It is not clear if these were complications of the virus.
The first death, a 61-year-old man, was reported by Wuhan Municipal Health Commission last week.
He died on January 9, having been hospitalised after suffering shortness of breath and severe pneumonia.
The man, who also suffered from abdominal tumours and chronic liver disease, had been a frequent customer at a seafood market on Wuhan’s outskirts.
Several other patients worked at the seafood market in Wuhan’s suburbs, and has been closed and investigated as a potential source of the strain.
Although the virus was initially thought to be transmitted by animals, the WHO said there is now evidence of human-to-human transmission.
The first identified case outside of the country in Thailand last week raised concerns the virus could cross borders.
The woman, a Chinese national who was on holiday in Thailand, triggered a step-up in surveillance at airports.
Japan’s government said on January 16 a man treated for pneumonia after returning from China had tested positive for the new coronavirus.
Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome said: ‘News of a case in Japan is extremely concerning – but it is not surprising that we are starting to hear of more cases in other countries.
‘It is possible that the often mild symptoms from this coronavirus may be masking the true numbers of people who have been infected, or the extent of person to person transmission.
‘It is probable that we are looking at patients being affected over a number of days from multiple animals sources and with some degree of human to human transmission.
‘Ongoing research, with prompt and full data sharing between the teams now working together across China and globally on building the information, is vital to ensuring the correct response to this outbreak.
‘Wuhan is a major hub and with travel being a huge part of the fast approaching Chinese New Year, the concern level must remain high.’