FASTER DETECTION KEY TO SUCCESS

Addressing medical shortages in Hubei province, the center of the novel coronavirus epidemic, and speeding up overall detection of infections nationwide are key to combating the contagion's spread, health officials said.

The number of newly confirmed infections on the Chinese mainland rose by 3,143 on Thursday — a second-consecutive daily slowdown — bringing the total to 31,161 cases, according to the National Health Commission.

"The slowdown in newly confirmed cases reflects the outcome from previous disease control measures," commission spokeswoman Song Shuli said on Friday.

The mainland death toll rose by 73 on Thursday to 636, including 69 new fatalities reported in Hubei province. The total death toll in Hubei rose to 618, the commission said.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,540 former patients have been cured and discharged from hospitals as of late Thursday night. "The growth rate of newly-discharged patients has been increasing since January 30, including a small proportion of severely ill and elderly patients," said Guo Yanhong, an official with the commission's medical administration and supervision department.

However, Zhong Nanshan, a renowned Chinese respiratory expert, said it might still take a few days for the novel coronavirus outbreak to reach its peak, Nanfang Daily reported.

It's good that confirmed cases are decreasing, which means that early detection and early isolation have worked. Yet it is still too early to say that the epidemic has reached a turning point, Zhong said at a conference in Guangdong province on Friday.

As the fight against the viral outbreak has entered a critical period, health officials are working on boosting admission capacity of medical facilities that are under severe strain in Hubei, and enhancing intensive care capability.

"The most pressing issue in the province is the discrepancy between the rising number of patients and limited medical resources in the region," Guo said.

One approach to relieve pressure and reduce further transmission in Wuhan, the provincial capital where the virus first appeared, is to establish hospitals converted from gymnasiums, exhibition centers and sports centers in the city, she said.

"These temporary treatment centers work to maximize admission capacity while preventing infected patients from transmitting the virus further," Guo said, adding that by implementing rigorous management to prevent cross-infection risks and introducing psychological support services, these temporary hospitals will be effective in resolving resource bottlenecks at a rapid pace.

The acute shortage of medical staff also exacerbates treatment of patients in severe condition, resulting in mortality rates in Wuhan that are much higher than the national average.

"Medical workers, especially intensive care specialists, are exhausted. We have attached great importance to intensive care when delivering medical assistance to the region," Guo said.

Wang Guiqiang, head of Peking University First Hospital's infectious diseases department, said with the discovery of a range of new therapies, including antiviral drugs, plasma exchange treatment and the use of traditional Chinese medicine, mortality rates of those in serious condition will be driven down.

Zhong said that there have been some clinical trials for TCM, which hopefully can be used in epidemic prevention and treatment of patients with mild symptoms. He also reminded medical workers to follow standard procedures to protect themselves and take turns to allow rest periods since it's easier to get infected when overly fatigued.

To further reduce the movement of people, the Hubei government on Friday also decided to close off all villages by blocking connecting roads with physical obstacles, leaving one guarded emergency passage connecting every two villages.

Groceries and other daily necessities will be brought and distributed collectively by village representatives to further reduce population mobility. All public gatherings will also be banned and nonessential public spaces will be shut down, the government said in a statement.

Violators of these rules will be seriously dealt with according to laws and regulations. Local officials who do not fully comply with or implement the new rules and lead to the spread of viral infections in families or communities will also be punished, it added.

Poor implementation of preventive measures in Hubei's villages has led to instances of transmission among crowds and delays in reporting confirmed infections, it said.

LEISHENSHAN HOSPITAL READY TO RECEIVE PATIENTS

With the first batch of medical staff in place, Leishenshan Hospital, the second makeshift hospital built to help contain the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, is expected to receive patients on Saturday.

All preparation work in the hospital is proceeding in an orderly fashion, China Central Television reported.

Modeled on Beijing's Xiaotangshan Hospital, which treated severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) cases in 2003, the makeshift hospital will not provide outpatient services, only treating confirmed infected patients.

To enhance protection of its medical staff and prevent cross-infection, the hospital has invited Zhang Yanling, former president of Xiaotangshan, to offer training for its medical staff.

The hospital, the construction of which started on Jan 25, has 1,500 beds and covers a total area of 28 hectares.

Among its 32 zones for patients, two will be designated for those in critical condition and three for those with serious symptoms, the report said.

MANAGEMENT OF WILDLIFE STRENGTHENED AMID EPIDEMIC

Zhangjiajie, a well-known tourist city in northwestern Hunan province, issued a circular on Friday banning the trade and consumption of the Chinese giant salamander, a species on the national second-class protection list and Appendix I in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, according to a report from Rednet.cn.

The circular said it is forbidden to eat wild giant salamanders or those domestically bred in the city. Restaurants are forbidden to use the name, nickname or image of the giant salamander in signboards or recipes to induce customers.

The local authorities will be on watch for reports from the public through the city's 12315 hotline and other service platforms, and violation of the circular will be investigated and dealt with in accordance with the law. Suspected criminal activities will also be investigated.

Reports from the Hunan provincial forestry authorities said since Jan 23 a total of 23,3901 wildlife breeding places have been closed, 5,254 wild animals and their products have been confiscated and 425 protected natural areas have been closed.

Targeted efforts are continuing around the country as a response to the recent joint announcement by the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the State Administration of Forestry to cope with the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The announcement said wild animals and their products are banned from sale, purchase, use, shipment, carrying and delivery. Related advertisements and trade services also are forbidden.

In China's southernmost province of Hainan, for instance, all wildlife breeding farms have been closed since Jan 22 and the tropical island province has completely suspended the examination and approval of artificial breeding, sales and use of snakes, bamboo rats, badgers, civets and other wild animals and their transport out of the island province, according to a report from Xinhua News Agency.

Xia Fei, director of the Hainan provincial administration of forestry, said since Jan 22 the provincial administration has conducted comprehensive inspection of produce markets, supermarkets and restaurants to prohibit wildlife trading in an all-round way.

NESTLE TO FURTHER TAP CHINA MARKET WITH NEW DRIP COFFEE

Chinese consumers' rising awareness of coffee varieties, their demand for beverages made of freshly ground beans, with an emphasis on convenience and low price, have accelerated the development of drip coffee products in the market.

Global food and beverage producer Nestle unveiled its first drip coffee product in China last month.

Drip coffees, or small cones or cubes containing ground coffee that "hang by the ear", to use Chinese consumers' preferred phrase for them, allow fresh brews to drip through them when immersed in hot water in a mug.

Nescafe's gold drip coffee series have launched two products in the emerging market segment. The hand-brew master drip coffee, in turn, has two kinds-dark roast and medium roast, mixing coffee beans grown in Yunnan province with those from Colombia, Brazil and Ethiopia.

Coffee is the mainstay of Nestle's beverage business that boasts three brands: Nescafe, Nespresso and Starbucks.

While full-year coffee business figures for 2019 are yet to be finalized, Nestle China said it grew in double digits in 2018 on the back of innovation.

The new drip products have been launched in response to the fast-growing market trend in China. Ground coffee has the potential to become a further growth driver, just as instant coffee varieties became popular a few decades back, according to Nestle.

Nestle is also the world's largest coffee producer, taking up 23 percent of the $77 billion global coffee retail consumption market. Nescafe is available in more than 180 countries. Nespresso has over 600 boutiques and attracts about 465,000 daily visits to its e-commerce platforms.

Adrian Ho, senior vice-president, coffee business unit, Nestle China Ltd, said China has big potential for coffee consumption. To exploit opportunities brought by the rapid development of the Chinese market, brands must keep changing and innovating, he said.

Nestle is not the only company that has taken a shine to drip coffees. Luckin, which operates coffee houses that compete with Starbucks, has jumped on the drip bandwagon. Its mobile app as well as its e-stores on JD and Tmall are seeking to capitalize on its large database of consumers. To further endear itself to coffee connoisseurs on its app, Luckin rolled out its snack business as a bonus in November last year.

The coffee chain store operator-turned-retailer established its coffee bean roasting factory in Fujian in July last year. For the purpose, it collaborated with two entities: Japan's Mitsui Foods, one of the world's top three coffee bean traders, and Yeuan Yeou Enterprise, a prominent professional coffee roaster in Asia.

The Fujian factory can annually produce some 30,000 metric tons of roasted coffee beans worth 1.5 billion yuan ($215.2 million).

Zhu Danpeng, an independent food and beverage analyst, said it is no surprise that drip products are emerging as a growth point in the coffee market that was tending toward homogenization. Drip coffees are cheaper and offer more convenience compared with hand-brewed coffee consumed at coffee houses, he said.

According to Mintel Group Ltd, China's hand-brewed coffee house market sales were worth 64.7 billion yuan in 2018, up 7.5 percent over 2017. Mintel estimated the market is expected to rise at 6 percent year-on-year between 2019 and 2023.

NEW ENERGY VEHICLES COMPRISE 60% OF 2020 BEIJING QUOTA

New energy vehicles account for 60 percent of the total amount of the small passenger vehicle quota for Beijing in 2020, according to an official announcement released on Friday.

This year's annual city quota for small passenger vehicles is 100,000 in total, with 40,000 for traditional energy models and 60,000 for new energy ones, the regulation and management office for the Beijing small passenger vehicle quota announced.

About 54,200 new energy vehicles will be allocated to individuals, accounting for 90.3 percent of the total annual quota for new energy small passenger vehicles.

The number of traditional energy small passenger vehicles for individuals is 38,200, accounting for 95.5 percent of the total amount.

The quota allocated to operational small passenger vehicles for traditional and new energy models will be 200 and 2,800, respectively.

Chinese and international carmakers delivered 1.206 million electric cars and plug-in hybrids in China in 2019, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.