Medical team fights Gansu virus outbreak
Experts, doctors cooperate as COVID-19 case numbers increase to 63 in province
The number of severe COVID-19 patients in Gansu province, one of the hardest hit areas during the latest outbreak in China, grew to 13-nearly one-fifth of the province's total-on Thursday, which deserves attention, an expert said.
Of the 13 cases, one is in critical condition while the rest are listed as severe, according to the provincial government. They are among the 63 current confirmed COVID-19 cases in Gansu, according to the provincial government.
Medical experts from across the nation are now working with local doctors to create treatment plans for each patient.
Zhang Zhongde, deputy head of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Guangdong Province and one of the medical experts working in Gansu during the outbreak, said most of the confirmed cases in the province are older than 50, and nine of the severe patients are above age 70.
"Not many patients have a fever this time in Gansu. Rather than fever, most of them have symptoms of dry throat and cough," he said. "Most of the patients have other underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary heart disease.
"Combined with the high-speed spread of the virus and a long incubation period, medical treatment is more difficult this time," he said during an interview with ThePaper.cn.
