Coronavirus: Mexican man trapped in Wuhan asks for help to evacuate the Chinese city

Through his Twitter account, Daniel Stamatis , a Mexican architect who lives in Wuhan , is requesting help to evacuate the city in a plane the U.S. will deploy to evacuate its citizens from the Chinese city .

The Mexican man says he wants to leave Wuhan as soon as possible. Moreover, he explains he has a U.S. visa and wonders if he could board a flight the U.S. will deploy to evacuate American citizens and diplomats out of the coronavirus epicenter .

Christopher Landau

, the U.S. ambassador in Mexico, said he would review his case.

However, Landau later informed him that “there are more U.S. citizens than seats on the plane” but added the situation might change and said he would stay in touch.

The Foreign Ministry says the Mexican embassy and consulates in China are in touch with Mexican citizens in the country.

Meanwhile, Martha Bárcena, the Mexican ambassador in the U.S., said she is in contact with China and the U.S. and is reviewing the case.

It hasn’t been revealed if the Mexican citizen will be allowed to board the U.S. plane .

On January 25, Chinese authorities informed that the new coronavirus causing Wuhan pneumonia has killed at least 81 people and around 2,835 people have contracted the virus .

What is Coronavirus?

According to the World Health Organization , Coronaviruses ( CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome ( MERS-CoV ) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS-CoV ). A novel coronavirus ( nCoV ) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

It explains that “ Coronaviruses are zoonotic , meaning they are transmitted between animals and people.” Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans.

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms , fever , cough , shortness of breath and breathing difficulties . In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia , severe acute respiratory syndrome , kidney failure , and even death.

Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing , covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing , thoroughly cooking meat and eggs.

On February 2 , Daniel Stamatis announced he was in France and that he, along with other 9 Mexicans , would be quarantined in France for two weeks to make sure they weren't infected with the new virus . He emphasized the help they received from the French and Mexican authorities to evacuate Wuhan .

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