Beijing: Indian and Pakistani students in Chinau2019s Hubei province, the epicentre of the Coronavirus [ COVID- 19] outbreak, have made desperate pleas to their governments to evacuate them after Chinese officials decided to convert their university gymnasiums and dormitories into makeshift hospitals amid a big surge in infection cases.
The death toll from the epidemic surged to 1,367 with 254 deaths on Wednesday, highest in a day, raising concerns that the virus is nowhere near slowing down. There were 52,526 confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland at the end of Wednesday. On Wednesday, Wuhan and Hubei province itself reported 14,840 new confirmed cases to local health officials said.
Three Indian students studying at the Hubei University of Chinese Medicine made desperate pleas to the Indian government to evacuate them after the university announced plans to convert the gym into a hospital.
India has already evacuated 647 Indian nationals mostly students from Wuhan and Hubei. Ten Indians could not board the two special flights due to fever. Indian officials say around 80 to 100 Indians are still left in the area.
u201c Our university is going to use the gymnasium as the shelter to receive the confirmed cases,u201d the university said in a notice.
The university earlier was not on the list but now an official notification has been issued to include it.
u201c Now we need to cooperate.
For whole Wuhan, itu2019s a u2018 waru2019 period. Hope everyone can understand... We will try our best to ensure your basic needs. Special Period, special way. Do not go out!u201d it said.
u201c Do take precautions!u201d the university notification said.
China has already built two make- shift hospitals with 2,300 beds and converted auditorium and stadiums into hospitals. With surging cases, university dormitories and gymnasiums are being converted into hospitals.
About 1,000 Pakistani students are currently in Hubei province. The Pakistan government came under heavy criticism for not evacuating them. A number of Pakistani students too have complained that the dormitories are being converted into hospitals with virus patients.
Pakistani daily Dawn reported PM Imran Khan directing the Foreign Office to take every possible step to help Pakistani students stuck in novel coronavirus ( NCV)- hit Wuhan city.
Pakistani students of a Chinese medical university are fearful as patients infected with the virus have been shifted to a building located near their university. Agencies Yokohama: Japan on Thursday said it would allow some elderly passengers off a quarantined cruise ship and into government- designated lodging, as the number of new Coronavirus cases on the vessel jumped to 218.
Thousands of passengers and crew on the Diamond Princess u2014 the single largest cluster of infected people outside China - face several days more of quarantine, with many taking to social media to voice their concerns.
Those ship crew has been reluctant to speak to reporters for fear of losing their jobs, but two crew members broke their silence in a video broadcast by Indian media Thursday. u201c The situation on board is getting worse day by day,u201d 24- year- old ship security officer Sonali Thakkar told AFP. u201c This morning they told us that 44 people have been infected and everyone is really scared and want to get off as soon as possible,u201d she added.
u201c All we want is tests to be done and to be separated from those who are positive. We donu2019t want to stay on board.u201d With passengers mostly confined to their cabins, crew members have to go door- todoor to deliver food and other supplies, and some fear this has reduced the effectiveness of the quarantine. Agencies Japan cruise virus cases jump to 218 as elderly offered escape A man fishes behind the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship on Thursday. PIC/ PTI Japan confirms first Coronavirus death A woman in her 80s became the first person to die due to Coronavirus in Japan, the countryu2019s health minister said on Thursday, cautioning that it was not clear if the virus caused her death.
US cruise ship to finally dock in Cambodia A US cruise ship blocked from several Asian ports over concerns that a passenger could have been infected with COVID- 19 arrived off Cambodia on Thursday, as frustrated holidaymakers expressed hope that their ordeal may soon be over. The ship with 1,455 passengers was turned away from Japan, Guam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand over fears of novel Coronavirus.
Indian, Pak students in Wuhan panic as officials set up hospitals in campuses Residents walk through a disinfection channel at the entrance to a residential compound in Beijing on Thursday. PIC/ AFP u2018 Our university is going to use the gymnasium as the shelter to receive the confirmed cases,u2019 Hubei University said The death toll from the epidemic surged to 1,367 with 254 deaths on Wednesday, highest in a day, raising concerns that the virus is nowhere near slowing down 52,526 Confirmed cases on Chinese mainland by the end of Wednesday
