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People dressed in protective clothes disinfect an area in Wuhan, in Hubei province on January 30, 2020. — Picture by AFP[/caption]
BEIJING, Feb 3 — The death toll in China from the novel coronavirus outbreak climbed to 361, reported Anadolu Agency, quoting the country’s National Health Commission (NHC) Monday.
In a statement, the commission said it has so far received a total of 17,205 confirmed cases, adding a total of 57 people died over the last 24 hours.
“So far, 189,583 people have been identified as having had close contact with infected patients. 152,700 are now under medical observation,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, a 44-year-old man reportedly died of the coronavirus in the Philippines, the first confirmed death outside China, according to the World Health Organisation's local office on Sunday.
The patient was a Chinese national from Wuhan city, where the virus was first detected.
The NHC also announced the bodies of those who died due to the outbreak will be burned in crematorium areas near the hospital.
The number of people with the virus detected outside of China's mainland reached 15 in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and reached eight in the Macau Special Administrative Region.
The cases have also been reported in Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, the US, France, Germany, North Korea, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Vietnam, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the U.K., Russia, Nepal, Cambodia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Finland and India.
The virus, which originated in Wuhan, is said to have been transmitted to humans from animals, particularly bats.
It raised alarm globally with cases reported across Asia, Europe, the US and Canada.
Spain confirmed Saturday its first case in one of five suspected German tourists in La Gomera, one of the islands in Spain’s Canary Island chain.
The US declared a public health emergency due to the new type of coronavirus epidemic.
Russia on Saturday suspended the visa-free travel for tourists to and from China.
Travellers from China are being screened for the virus at airports worldwide and several airlines suspended flights to Wuhan.
The World Health Organisation declared the outbreak an international emergency.
— Bernama
