Health Minister: 11 Thousand Passengers from China Scanned, No Coronavirus Cases Found

Turkey has sent a military cargo plane to China's Wuhan to evacuate its 34 citizens

İstanbul

Health Minister: 11 Thousand Passengers from China Scanned, No Coronavirus Cases Found

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No cases of coronavirus have been found so far in Turkey, the Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca has announced.

Speaking at a news conference after a meeting of the scientific committee on the virus, Koca said they are closely monitoring the developments around related to the outbreak.

Using thermal cameras, Turkey scans all passengers arriving from China by air. So far, 11 thousand passengers have been scanned and no cases of coronavirus have been found, he stressed.

As of January 31, a total of 9,810 coronavirus cases have been seen in 23 countries worldwide, 99 percent of them in China.

Evacuation from Wuhan

A military cargo plane took off from the capital Ankara today (January 31) to evacuate citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the heart of the coronavirus outbreak.

The plane departed on Friday at 12 p.m. local time (0900GMT) to airlift the citizens of Turkey and other nearby countries from Wuhan.

The plane, at the initiative of the Ministry of Health, will evacuate 34 citizens of Turkey as well as seven citizens of Georgia, seven citizens of Azerbaijan, and one citizen of Albania.

The plane also carries healthcare personnel experienced in infectious diseases.

What happened?

The new strain of coronavirus was first diagnosed in Wuhan, China on December 12, 2019. Releasing a statement on December 31, the Health Commission of Wuhan Municipality announced that 27 other people having links with the Huanan Seafood Market were also diagnosed with the virus.

The first findings of the scientific research conducted on the coronavirus showed that its genetic sequence emerged from bat and snake species unique to China. Accordingly, the sale of wild animals has been forbidden in the country until the outbreak ends.

As the virus has spread to other cities and provinces in a short time, public transportation has been suspended in 17 cities in the Hubei province, especially in the city of Wuhan where the virus was first diagnosed.

The virus is spreading more and more rapidly and the number of cases in China has now exceeded that of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). In 2002-2003, 5 thousand 327 people contracted the SARS virus in the country. The worldwide number of SARS virus cases was 8 thousand. The number of coronavirus cases is expected to exceed it as well.

The virus has raised alarms globally, with cases reported across Asia, Europe, the U.S., and Canada.

Travelers from China are being screened for the virus at airports worldwide. Several airlines, including Turkish Airlines, have suspended flights to Wuhan and other parts of China.

At an emergency meeting Thursday, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international emergency.

(RT/VK)