WHO declares global coronavirus emergency as death toll hits 213
(It is more than 900 now)
BEIJING: The United States told its citizens not to travel to China in the first major response to the World Health Organization’s declaration of a global emergency over the spreading coronavirus, as Chinese authorities Friday increased the toll to 213 dead and nearly 10,000 infections. The State Department raised its warning alert to the highest level, telling its citizens “do not travel” to China because of an epidemic that has now spread to more than 20 nations.
Hours earlier, the WHO, which has faced criticism for initially downplaying the virus threat, revised its risk assessment after crisis talks in Geneva. “Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Death toll grows
China has taken extreme steps to stop the spread of the virus, including effectively quarantining more than 50 million people in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province. The government on Friday reported 43 new deaths in the preceding 24 hours. The number of new fatalities has risen daily over the past 10 days.
The vast majority have been in Hubei, and many were elderly. China´s National Health Commission also said Friday that 1,982 new cases had been confirmed, bringing the total to just under 10,000.
Another 102,000 people were under medical observation in China with possible symptoms of the respiratory ailment. The pathogen is believed to have emerged in a Wuhan market that sold wild game and spread by a Lunar New Year holiday season in which hundreds of millions of Chinese travel at home or abroad.
Source - Internet
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