Wintry conditions could be helpful in virus fight

With parts of Beijing expected to suffer blizzards on Thursday night, a leading health expert has said that might not be a bad thing in helping control the epidemic situation, but has also advised residents to avoid social gatherings.

"Since the spreading of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) occurs mainly indoors, not outdoors," said Zeng Guang, a chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, on Wednesday, adding "people still need to pay attention not to visit other families when snow comes, and avoid going out to crowded public spaces."

Zeng, who is also a member of the National Health Commission's senior-level expert panel, said the snow may have some impact on transport and production, but it would be no bad thing for helping prevent and control the spreading of NCP.

The Beijing Meteorological Service forecast on Wednesday night that the capital is expected to see the seventh snowfall of this winter from late Thursday night to early Saturday morning, with some areas facing blizzards. The heavy snow will be mostly seen from 2 am to 8 pm on Friday.

Temperatures will also fall on Friday, dropping about 12 degrees Celsius in the capital's mountainous region, said Zhang Lina, chief forecaster at the city's meteorological service.

The highest temperature on Friday will plummet to minus 1 degree Celsius, said Zhang.

Zeng also commented on the recent cure suggestion involving antibodies in the blood, saying that researching antibodies in the blood of cured patients should start, to help with the future prevention and control of the epidemic.

On Feb 2, a 19-year-old male novel coronavirus pneumonia patient in South China's Guangdong province offered to donate his plasma for further research purpose, the first case in the province to do so after recovery, the Guangdong Daily reported.