China on Thursday reported its first COVID-19 death in eight months.
The death on Wednesday night during an increase in cases in the city of Shijiazhuang was the first reported by Beijing officials since May.
Although the victim was not identified, she was already seriously ill due to an unspecified underlying illness, the state agency Xinhua News said.
The news sparked panic, with the hashtag “New virus death in Hebei” receiving 270 million views on the Chinese social media platform Weibo on Thursday, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“I haven’t seen the words ‘death from the virus’ in a long time, it’s a little shocking! I hope the epidemic will pass soon, ”wrote one user, AFP said.
Although China is the epicenter of the initial outbreak of the pandemic, the latest death this week brings the country’s initial death toll to just 4,635.
So far, there have been less than 100,000 confirmed cases in more than a year – with almost 80 other countries now reporting more, data from Johns Hopkins University show.
China claims to have mainly controlled the coronavirus through rigid blocks and mass testing – although it has also been accused of hiding data to hide the real toll.
More than 20 million people have been placed under varying degrees of blockade in Hebei, Beijing and other areas in the hope of containing infections before the Lunar New Year holiday next month.
The death was announced when a global team of scientists from the World Health Organization (WHO) finally arrived in Wuhan, the Chinese city where COVID-19 was first detected, to investigate its origins.
However, two of the 15 team members were refused entry after testing positive for antibodies to the coronavirus before leaving Singapore, WHO said. They are being tested again in the hope of continuing the journey.
The rest of the team arrived at Wuhan airport and walked through an improvised clear plastic tunnel to the airport. The researchers, who wore face masks, were greeted by airport officials with full protective gear, including masks, goggles and overalls.
They will go through a two-week quarantine, but will “Start your job right away” working with Chinese experts via videoconference during quarantine.
It is unclear whether they will visit the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the laboratory that American officials have suggested could be the source of the infection.
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