2nd coronavirus patient in S Korea recovers

Moscow: A second patient infected with the new coronavirus in South Korea is due to shortly be discharged from the hospital after making a full recovery, the national Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday, citing health authorities.
According to the news agency, the patient is a 35-year-old Chinese woman from the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, and was the first person in South Korea to be confirmed as having the virus in late January.
The first fully recovered patient, a 55-year-old South Korean man who had visited Wuhan, was released from the hospital on Wednesday. Yonhap also said that Seoul would allocate almost $900,000 from the emergency response fund this year to help local researchers develop detection kits and drugs for the virus. According to the country’s Ministry of Science and Technology, scientists will attempt to define key characteristics of the virus, choose the most appropriate existing antiviral medication and improve it for use on coronavirus patients. Apart from efforts to eradicate the pathogen, the South Korean authorities will also ease restrictions on the use of disposable plastic products at cafes and restaurants in airports, seaports and train stations to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the agency reported, citing the Environment Ministry.
South Korea has so far detected 23 cases of the deadly virus on its soil – the last five cases were registered earlier on Thursday. Apart from South Korea, the virus has spread to more than 20 countries and killed over 560 people, most of them in China. (PTI)