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CNN Sunday Morning
Chinese Officials Report 300 Cases of SARS in Beijing
Aired April 20, 2003 - 09:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: To health news now. The worldwide outbreak of the respiratory infection called SARS, has nearly reached 3,900 cases, and the death toll from SARS is more than 200. In Toronto, the SARS virus has claimed its 14th Canadian victim. Toronto's outbreak is mirroring that of Hong Kong, where a larger number of younger adults are contracting the severe and sometimes fatal illness. Singapore has reported 16 deaths and 177 cases of pneumonia-like illness. That is the fourth highest in the world.
The initial SARS outbreak is thought to have been in mainland China, and now some heads are rolling there. On the phone with the latest is our Beijing bureau chief, Jamie Florcruz. Jamie, hello.
JAMIE FLORCRUZ, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Hello. Well, the health ministers in Beijing called a press conference today and reported that there are now over 300 confirmed patients in Beijing alone. That's much more than the previous count of 37. These -- it's a matter of correcting the undercounting of SARS cases that's been going on in the past few days. The Chinese President Hu Jintao has called on all officials to stop the undercounting and cover-up of SARS cases.
Now, the first political casualties were announced today. The Beijing mayor, Meng Xuenong, and the health minister have been dismissed from their Communist Party posts, which means that they're also losing their government positions -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Also, what about the significance of canceling the Mayday celebration and the holiday?
FLORCRUZ: That is another indication that the Chinese are taking SARS more seriously now. They have canceled the weeklong Mayday holidays, which would have meant massive movement of people in China. Last year, some 70 million Chinese traveled in and outside China during those days. So this time, they are canceling that.
That means a lot of economic losses, especially to tourism industries. But the Chinese officials say this shows that the Chinese pay more attention now to people's lives, rather than the economy. They also are promising more government money, subsidies for those people who need SARS treatment. They say they will all be subsidized by the government. They hope that by doing so, they can prevent the spread of the epidemic, especially in the countryside, where some 700 million Chinese live. They're also monitoring the 100 million migrants in China, who travel to and from cities like Beijing -- Daryn. KAGAN: Jamie Florcruz in Beijing, thank you very much for that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 20, 2003 - 09:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: To health news now. The worldwide outbreak of the respiratory infection called SARS, has nearly reached 3,900 cases, and the death toll from SARS is more than 200. In Toronto, the SARS virus has claimed its 14th Canadian victim. Toronto's outbreak is mirroring that of Hong Kong, where a larger number of younger adults are contracting the severe and sometimes fatal illness. Singapore has reported 16 deaths and 177 cases of pneumonia-like illness. That is the fourth highest in the world.
The initial SARS outbreak is thought to have been in mainland China, and now some heads are rolling there. On the phone with the latest is our Beijing bureau chief, Jamie Florcruz. Jamie, hello.
JAMIE FLORCRUZ, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Hello. Well, the health ministers in Beijing called a press conference today and reported that there are now over 300 confirmed patients in Beijing alone. That's much more than the previous count of 37. These -- it's a matter of correcting the undercounting of SARS cases that's been going on in the past few days. The Chinese President Hu Jintao has called on all officials to stop the undercounting and cover-up of SARS cases.
Now, the first political casualties were announced today. The Beijing mayor, Meng Xuenong, and the health minister have been dismissed from their Communist Party posts, which means that they're also losing their government positions -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Also, what about the significance of canceling the Mayday celebration and the holiday?
FLORCRUZ: That is another indication that the Chinese are taking SARS more seriously now. They have canceled the weeklong Mayday holidays, which would have meant massive movement of people in China. Last year, some 70 million Chinese traveled in and outside China during those days. So this time, they are canceling that.
That means a lot of economic losses, especially to tourism industries. But the Chinese officials say this shows that the Chinese pay more attention now to people's lives, rather than the economy. They also are promising more government money, subsidies for those people who need SARS treatment. They say they will all be subsidized by the government. They hope that by doing so, they can prevent the spread of the epidemic, especially in the countryside, where some 700 million Chinese live. They're also monitoring the 100 million migrants in China, who travel to and from cities like Beijing -- Daryn. KAGAN: Jamie Florcruz in Beijing, thank you very much for that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
