A group of experts from the State Health Committee of China has warned on Tuesday that people can become infected with the coronavirus 2019-nCoV, which causes a new type of fatal pneumonia, from a distance of up to two meters.
“Everyone should wear protective masks and minimize the number of close physical contacts,” said Li Xingwang, one of the experts.
“By saying” close “we mean a distance of between one and two meters: the infection can occur from that distance,” said the official.
Li Xingwang has also added that the 2019-nCoV is transmitted primarily by air, but it is also possible to become infected if the virus enters through the conjunctiva of the eyes.
“The new type of pneumonia can also be contracted by contact: if the virus is in the skin of your hands and you rub your eyes without realizing it, you can become infected with this virus,” says the People’s Daily official.
Therefore, the expert has advised to use the mask and wash your hands well: this “will reduce the risk of spreading the virus and becoming infected with it.”
On Monday night, Chinese health authorities have confirmed:
106 deaths for 2019-nCoV
4,515 confirmed cases of infection
976 critically ill patients
6,973 people suspected
At the same time, Johns Hopkins University (USA), which is monitoring the spread of the coronavirus in real time and exposes the results on an interactive map, indicates that the total number of victims of 2019-nCoV has risen to 107.
Cases of infected infections in other countries:
Thailand: 14
Japan: 6
Australia: 5
Singapore: 5
USA: 5
Malaysia: 4
South Korea: 4
France: 3
Vietnam: 2
Nepal: 1
Cambodia: 1
Canada: 1
Germany: 1
Ivory Coast: 1
Sri Lanka: 1