January 11, 2020, 11:34 AM
A 61-year-old man in Wuhan, Hubei province, China has died from pneumonia, reported Reuters on Jan. 11.
Wuhan health authorities said that seven others are in "critical condition", having fallen ill to an outbreak of a mystery virus.
The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said that 41 people have been infected, although previously Wuhan City's official Weibo account said that 44 people had been infected.
Death by heart failure
The man who died was a frequent visitor of a seafood market, where other cases of infection have been traced.
He had been previously diagnosed with abdominal tumours and chronic liver disease.
Reuters reported that treatments did not improve his symptoms after he was admitted to hospital. He died on the evening of Jan. 9 when his heart failed.
Possible new disease
On Jan. 4, it was reported that the Chinese health authorities have ruled out influenza, bird flu, adenovirus infection and other common respiratory diseases.
Chinese state media cited preliminary lab tests that pointed to a new type of coronavirus.
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that may cause infections like the common cold, or something more severe like SARS.
The health commission stated that no new cases have been detected since Jan. 3.
Singapore's response
The Singapore authorities have been conducting temperature checks at Changi Airport on travelers from Wuhan since Jan. 3.
A three-year-old girl with a history of travel to Wuhan fell ill with pneumonia, and was warded and isolated. However, the Ministry of Health (MOH) determined that her case was not linked to the outbreak.
On Jan. 10, MOH stated that a 26-year-old man with a history of travel to Wuhan, also contracted pneumonia.
He is being warded and isolated while the authorities monitor his condition.
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Top image by Petrick Liu via Pixabay.
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