Chinese health authorities announced Sunday that 1,975 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), including 324 in critical conditions, had been reported in the country by the end of Saturday.

The pneumonia situation had resulted in 56 deaths, according to the National Health Commission.

A total of 2,684 suspected cases had also been reported.

Confirmed cases were also reported in China’s Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as Thailand, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States, Vietnam, Singapore, Nepal and France.

Wuhan, the hardest-hit city of the novel coronavirus outbreak in central China, is following Beijing’s SARS treatment model in 2003 to build a makeshift hospital with a capability of 1,000 beds for admitting infected patients.

Construction on the facility began Thursday night. It will be completed and put into use prior to Feb. 3, less than 10 days away.

CPC leadership meets

The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Saturday held a meeting on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, chaired the meeting.

The meeting decided to set up a CPC Central Committee leading group to oversee the work.

The meeting made a further study of and new arrangements on issues especially related to the treatment of patients.

Groups will be sent to Hubei Province to direct work on the ground, according to the meeting.

“Life is of paramount importance. When an epidemic breaks out, a command is issued. It is our responsibility to prevent and control it,” Xi said, ordering Party committees and governments at all levels take novel coronavirus outbreak prevention and control as the top priority of their work.

Xi stressed thoroughly grasping the importance and urgency of the work.

Party and government officials, especially the leading officials, must always stay on their jobs and stand at the frontline to safeguard social stability and ensure people have a peaceful and merry Chinese New Year festival, Xi said.

According to the meeting, Xi has been paying very close attention to the outbreak as he held multiple meetings, heard many reports and made important instructions on the matter, demanding Party committees and governments at all levels and related departments to put people’s life and health as the top priority.

The meeting ordered officials in Hubei to attach paramount importance to the prevention and control work and take more rigorous measures to prevent further spread of the virus and put all patients in centralized quarantine for treatment.

The meeting demanded all-out efforts to treat infected patients, speed up the augmentation of medical personnel, and coordinate civilian and military medical resources.

The prevention and control work should be conducted in a law-based, scientific and orderly way, said the meeting, adding that attention should be paid to monitoring, screening and warning.

The meeting also underscored timely, accurate and transparent release of information to address concerns from home and abroad. (Xinhua)