BEIJING: The official Chinese death toll from the coronavirus outbreak roseon Friday to 636, with the government saying total infections had climbedpast 30,000.
The toll was raised by 73 new deaths from the epidemic, the National HealthCommission said in its daily update.
Another 3,143 new cases of infection were confirmed, bringing totalinfections in the country thus far to 31,161, it said.
The central province of Hubei where the virus originated continued to behardest-hit, accounting for 69 of the new deaths reported in the 24 hoursto Friday.
Of the reported infections, more than 4,800 of those people were in seriouscondition.
Chinese authorities are still struggling to contain the outbreak despiteordering millions of people indoors in a growing number of cities, withoverwhelmed hospitals struggling to treat the surging numbers of ill.
The contagion emerged in the Hubei provincial capital of Wuhan in December,later spreading to the rest of China and more than two dozen othercountries, prompting the World Health Organisation to declare a globalemergency.
The number of confirmed infections in China could still grow significantly,with the health commission saying that more than 26,000 other people were“suspected” of having contracted the virus.
Global panic deepens
China s coronavirus crisis worsened Thursday as the death toll soared to636 and the plight of thousands trapped on quarantined cruise shipsdeepened global panic over the epidemic.
More than 30,000 people have been infected in China, where authorities arestruggling to contain the outbreak, despite ordering millions indoors in agrowing number of cities.
Two dozen countries have confirmed cases of the respiratory disease, whichemerged from a market selling exotic animals in the central Chinese city ofWuhan late last year.
Thousands of holidaymakers on cruise ships in Hong Kong and Japan face anagonising wait to find out if more among them have been infected.
At least 20 people on the Diamond Princess — off Yokohama since Monday —have tested positive. Some 3,700 passengers and crew from more than 50countries have been confined to quarters.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said another cruise ship, the Westerdam,was heading to the country with one confirmed case.
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He said no foreigners from the vessel, capable of carrying nearly 3,000passengers and crew, would be allowed to disembark.
In Hong Kong, 3,600 people were spending a second night confined aboard theWorld Dream. Authorities conducted health checks after eight formerpassengers tested positive for the virus.
Health officials said they were asking about 5,000 Hong Kongers who hadtaken trips on the ship since mid-January to contact them.
Hong Kong has been particularly nervous because the crisis revived memoriesof another coronavirus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome(SARS). It killed nearly 300 people in the city and another 349 on theChinese mainland in 2002-2003.
Panic buying in semi-autonomous Hong Kong left supermarkets empty of toiletpaper following false online claims of shortages, prompting authorities toappeal for calm.
One person has died after contracting the virus in Hong Kong.
While the death toll continues to rise in China, experts have stressed thatat two percent mortality, 2019-nCoV is far less deadly than SARS, whichkilled around 10 percent of the people it infected 17 years ago.
The outbreak has nevertheless been declared a global health emergency,prompting several governments to warn against travel to China and banarrivals from the country, while airlines have halted flights.
Almost 200 Canadians showed up at the airport in Wuhan for its firstevacuations, most on a commercial airliner chartered by Ottawa, officialssaid.
Germany s foreign ministry said it was working to bring home severalnationals who had not made it out on a flight that reached Frankfurt lastSaturday.
Saudi Arabia banned citizens and resident foreigners from travelling toChina, while Air France-KLM extended its flight suspension by another monthuntil March 15.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ina call that all countries should “follow World Health Organizationguidelines on travel and health in a timely manner”, state news agencyXinhua reported.
After Britain advised nationals to leave China, Beijing s ambassador toLondon said there should not be “such a panic.” -APP/AFP
