42 Wuhan evacuees released from quarantine: Turkey

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

All 42 people quarantined in Turkey after evacuation from Wuhan, China, were discharged from hospital on Feb. 14.

Turkey's health minister said none of the individuals -- 32 Turkish nationals, six Azerbaijanis, three Georgians, and one Albanian -- showed any signs of Covid-19, the disease caused by the deadly coronavirus.

“In line with recommendations of the Turkish Scientific Committee, the 42 people were placed in quarantine for 14 days and have now been discharged from hospital,” Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told reporters.

He said multiple tests were conducted to make sure that none of them were carriers of the new coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV.

The 42 individuals were evacuated from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, on a special military plane sent by Turkey on Feb. 1.

The medical staff, military personnel, and reporters who were part of the rescue mission were earlier released from quarantine on Feb. 11.

Death toll in China coronavirus outbreak rises to 1,381

Meanwhile, the death toll in China from the coronavirus outbreak has risen to 1,381, the country's National Health Commission said on Feb. 14.

Authorities said 63,851 confirmed cases have been reported, while in the last 24 hours, 121 people have died and more than 5,090 new cases have been detected.

The number of those detected with the virus outside China's mainland has reached 53 in Hong Kong and 10 in Macau. Both are special administrative regions.

The number of people under medical observation is 177,974.

The virus is said to have been transmitted to humans from animals, particularly bats.

It has spread to more than 20 other countries including the U.S., the U.K., Singapore, France, Russia, Spain and India.

Many countries, including Turkey, have evacuated their citizens from the city of Wuhan – the epicenter of the virus – and other affected areas of China, placing them under quarantine and monitoring.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak an international health emergency.