Novel coronavirus cases analyzed in paper had been reported, China CDC says

Medical staff swear in as members of "assault team" in the fight against the novel coronavirus-related pneumonia at Union Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

All of the novel coronavirus cases in a newly published paper, including 15 medical personnel, had been reported to the public as of Jan. 23, which was before the paper was written, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- All the novel coronavirus cases analyzed in a newly published paper had been previously reported, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) said in a statement on Friday, in response to questions on its data.

The paper, titled "Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus-Infected Pneumonia" was published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, according to the statement.

All of the cases in the paper, including 15 medical personnel, had been reported to the public as of Jan. 23, which was before the paper was written, according to the CDC.

Medical workers transfer a patient who is on the mend out of the ICU (intensive care unit) of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiong Qi)

On the basis of information collected from the 425 patients infected with the virus, the researchers conducted a retrospective analysis inferring that human-to-human transmission has occurred among close contacts since December 2019, the CDC noted.

It said the timely publishing of findings in academic papers can help professionals both at home and abroad understand the characteristics of the disease and thus improve prevention and control strategies. ■