© Xinhua Volunteers take a pregnant woman into the Wuhan Maternal and Child Health Hospital to be tested for the coronavirus. Photo: Xinhua

A 36-year-old man has died in Wuhan from respiratory failure days after being discharged from hospital

Latest data from the mainland shows most new infections continue to occur at epidemic’s epicentre

Mainland China reported 139 new cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, on Thursday, up from 119 a day earlier, as well as 31 new deaths.

The National Health Commission said 134 of the new infections were in Hubei, epicentre of the outbreak, with 131 in its provincial capital Wuhan.

As of Wednesday, 80,409 people had been infected on the mainland, and 3,012 have died. Some 52,045 patients had recovered from the disease. The commission also said there had been 20 imported cases – a worrying development for China which has prompted some cities to introduce quarantine measures.

A 36-year-old man has died of respiratory failure in Wuhan, five days after being discharged from one of the makeshift hospitals built to contain the outbreak, according to Shanghai-based news portal The Paper.

Li Liang had been admitted to the hospital – built to treat patients with mild and moderate symptoms – on February 12, according to his wife, surnamed Mei. He was discharged two weeks later with instructions to stay in a quarantine hotel for 14 days.

Mei said her husband was not feeling well two days after leaving the hospital, with dry mouth and gaseous stomach. On March 2, Li said he felt sick and was sent to a hospital, where he was certified dead that afternoon.

The death certificate issued by the Wuhan health commission said the direct cause was Covid-19, and listed respiratory blockage and failure as the symptoms which could have lead to his death.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday declared a statewide emergency after its first fatality from the new coronavirus – the first death to occur in the US outside Washington state.

The victim was an elderly patient with underlying health conditions who contracted Covid-19 on a cruise. She died at a hospital in Roseville, near Sacramento, health officials said.

The emergency declaration was intended to help procure supplies quickly Newsom said, adding that California currently had 53 reported cases.

Nationwide, nearly 130 people, including repatriated citizens, have so far been reported to be infected, with the virus detected in more than a dozen states, according to the latest CDC figures published on Wednesday.

South Korea has reported 145 new infections and three more deaths, bringing the country's totals to 5,766 and 35, respectively.

South Korea is experiencing the largest coronavirus epidemic outside of China. More than 75 per cent of its cases have been reported in Daegu, South Korea's fourth largest city. The capital, Seoul, has recorded 99 infections.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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