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China coronavirus outbreak: All the latest updates | Coronavirus outbreak News

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in mainland China has risen anew to 636, according to the country’s National Health Commission on Friday.

Out of the total 73 new deaths reported, 69 cases were reported from Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, including 64 in the provincial capital Wuhan.

There had been a further 3,143 cases detected across the country, pushing the total number of infections up to 31,161.

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The virus has killed two people outside mainland China, one in Hong Kong and another in the Philippines. At least 25 countries have confirmed cases.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, asked for $675m to help countries address the expected spread of the virus.

Here are the latest updates:

Friday, February 7

Coronavirus outbreak: Hospitals in China swamped with patients

China launches probe after whistleblower doctor dies

China’s anti-graft watchdog announced an investigation after the death of a whistleblowing doctor sparked anger over the government’s handling of the coronavirus emergency.

The discipline inspection commission said a team would go to Wuhan, where doctor Li Wenliang died, to “conduct a comprehensive investigation into issues involving Dr. Li Wenliang reported by the masses”.

Li, 34, died early Friday, Wuhan Central Hospital said in a post on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform.

Dr Li - China

The death of the ophthalmologist sparked an outpouring of grief and anger 

China’s Xi tells Trump no effort spared in coronavirus fight

The Chinese government has spared no effort in its fight to contain the coronavirus outbreak, having taken the most comprehensive and stringent prevention and containment measures, President Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump.

In its battle against the coronavirus, China is gradually achieving results, Xi told his US counterpart on a phone call on Friday morning, according to state television.

China is fully confident and capable of defeating the epidemic, and the long-term trend of the country’s economic development will not change, Xi said.

Japan finds 41 more cases on cruise ship

Japan on Friday reported 41 new cases of a virus on a cruise ship that’s been quarantined in Yokohama harbour.

Before Friday’s 41 confirmed cases, 20 passengers who were found infected with the virus were escorted off the Diamond Princess at Yokohama near Tokyo. About 3,700 people have been confined aboard the ship.

Two docked cruise ships with thousands of passengers and crew members remained under 14-day quarantines in Japan and Hong Kong.

Doctor who ‘sounded alarm’ over outbreak dies of virus, report says

Global Times, a tabloid run by the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, said Li Wenliang an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital and among the first doctors to reportedly warn about the coronavirus outbreak, died of the virus in Wuhan.

Wuhan Central Hospital has also confirmed Li’s death.

WHO said it is “deeply saddened by the passing” of the doctor, adding that everyone needs to “celebrate” the work he did on the virus.

UK says citizen infected with coronavirus outside China

The third case testing positive to coronavirus in the UK was infected in an Asian country other than China, authorities said, telling doctors to be vigilant to those showing symptoms from a wider range of countries.

“Because of that, it is probably now prudent to slightly widen the geographical area where doctors in the UK and NHS know they should test people if they come with the right symptoms,” said England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty.

He did not name the country from where the patient had returned. He said a wider list of countries would be released shortly from which people who developed symptoms should self-isolate if they showed any of the coronavirus symptoms.

WHO says too early to say coronavirus peaking in China

The health agency said it was too early to say that China’s coronavirus outbreak was peaking, but noted that Wednesday was the first day that the overall number of new cases in the Asian country had dropped.

WHO official Mike Ryan said there had been a constant increase in cases in Hubei province but that that increase had not been seen in other regions.

Executive Director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) emergencies program Mike Ryan speaks at a news conference on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Geneva, Switzerland February

Executive Director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) emergencies programme, Mike Ryan, speaks at a news conference on the novel coronavirus in Geneva [Denis Balibouse/Reuters]

Read updates from Thursday, February 6 here.

SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies

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