Chinese Political Influence Over Coronavirus News | William Yang
iTunes | Spotify | Google Play | Deezer | Stitcher | SoundCloud | YouTube | TuneIn | RSS Feed
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
Chinese Political Influence Over Coronavirus News | William Yang
Download Episode MP3 File
The file will open in a new window. Click down arrow to download the file.
Location: Skype
Date: Sunday, 2nd February 2020
Company: DW News
Role: East Asia Correspondent
In early December 2019, the Chinese city of Wuhan became the epicentre of a deadly coronavirus outbreak. As of today (3rd Feb, 2020), the virus has now spread to at least 26 countries, infecting over 17,000 people with more than 360 deaths.
It is suspected that the outbreak originated from Hunan Seafood Market, a 'wet market' in Wuhan. These markets are known for selling a range of live wildlife from typical western meats through to live venomous snakes, cats, marmots, turtles, cicadas, guinea pigs, rats, badgers, hedgehogs and other wild animals.
The first recorded case of the virus was on 1st Dec 2019, but it wasn't until 31st Dec that the World Health Organisation (WHO) was made aware of the developing situation. By this time, 27 people were known to have been infected. On 9th Jan 2020, the first death was recorded in Wuhan, a 61-year-old man who regularly visited the Hunan Seafood Market. On 2nd Feb 2020, the first recorded death outside of China was recorded in the Philippines, a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan.
There are confirmed infections in at least 26 countries; the WHO has declared a global public health emergency, and most major nations are urging people not to travel to China and have started to evacuate citizens.
To combat the virus in Wuhan, China began works on two new hospitals, with over 1,000 beds, specifically designed to treat patients who have contracted the virus. Remarkably, authorities aim to have these facilities up and running within two weeks.
As further information is gathered on the epidemic, there are concerns about the accuracy of the number of deaths reported by the Chinese government. Chinese language media outlet Initium News has claimed that people working at local crematoriums in Wuhan have reported that many dead bodies are being transferred directly from hospitals to the crematoriums without identification of the patients. If this were true, it would mean that the reported death toll from China has been significantly underestimated.
In this interview, I talk to William Yang, East Asia Correspondent for DW News who has been reporting extensively on the coronavirus outbreak. We discussed the origins and spread of the disease and allegations that China is withholding crucial information.
SUPPORT THE SHOW
The success of Defiance will be largely down to the support of you, the listener. Below are a number of ways you can help:
Subscribe to the show on your favourite app so you never miss an episode:
Leave a review of the show on iTunes (5* really helps, if you think the show deserves it).
Share the show and episodes out with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Follow Defiance on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Subscribe to the Defiance mailing list.
Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5p
If you have any questions then please email Defiance.
Coming soon…
Connect with William:
Mentioned in the show:
New York Times: Coronavirus Live Updates
World Health Organization: Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)
Al Jazeera: Coronavirus: All you need to know about symptoms and risks
Business insider: China spent the crucial first days of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak arresting people who posted about it online and threatening journalists
New York Times: China Silences Critics Over Coronavirus Outbreak
NZ Herald: Coronavirus: China accused of 'burning bodies in secret'
Financial Times: How China’s slow response aided coronavirus outbreak
Reuters: Confusion and lost time: how testing woes slowed China's coronavirus response
The Guardian: Coronavirus: first death outside China recorded as total fatalities pass 300
New York Times: Wuhan Coronavirus Looks Increasingly Like a Pandemic, Experts Say
Al Jazeera: 'Stress test': Coronavirus fatalities rise to 361 in China
NPR: 9th Case Of Coronavirus In U.S.; 1st Death Outside China In Philippines
Wikipedia: SARS
The Guardian: China's reaction to the coronavirus outbreak violates human rights
THANK YOU TO MY SPONSOR
Kraken - the best place to buy, sell or trade Bitcoin.