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Medical staff at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, where patients suffering from this "pneumonia" are treated. REUTERS / Stringer

A fourth coronavirus death has been confirmed in Wuhan, a city in central China, where the mysterious epidemic of "pneumonia" started a month ago. Since this weekend, the epidemic has hit major Chinese megalopolises. More than 200 cases have been identified in the country.

With our correspondent in Beijing, Stéphane Lagarde

Human-to- human transmission of “2019-nCov” - the codename for this coronavirus - is believed to be the cause of at least one confirmed case in Wuhan, but also in two outbreaks in southern Guangdong province. In all of these cases, said Zhong Nanshan, director of a state laboratory and discoverer of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in February 2003. Cases have also been detected in large cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, as well as abroad, in Japan, Thailand and South Korea.

Fifteen contaminations among medical personnel

This confirmation comes after about fifteen medical personnel from the epicenter city of the earthquake are now showing symptoms of the disease (high fever, cough and difficulty breathing). Something to worry about when you know that heavy precautions have been taken in the hospitals where the affected patients are located.

Worrying too, because the Chinese holiday of chunjie is coming. A real time bomb according to experts. The risk of human-to-human contamination increases with the movement of people. And this Friday, hundreds of millions of Chinese are preparing to travel to the four corners of China for the Spring Festival and celebrate the Lunar New Year with the family.

An ability to spread close to that of Sras

All efforts must be made to " stop the spread of the epidemic, " said President Xi Jinping in comments reported by China Central Television. The ability of the virus to spread and adapt to the population is close, according to some specialists in the early days of the SARS epidemic. The virus killed 349 people in mainland China and 299 in Hong Kong, according to the World Health Organization.

The WHO is holding an emergency meeting on Wednesday 22 January in Geneva devoted to the mysterious virus.

Faced with the spread of the virus, the Chinese authorities break their silence