Coronavirus outbreak declared global health emergency as death toll spikes to 213

death toll in China's coronavirus epidemic spiked to 213 and total infections reached 9,692, government said on Friday as World Health Organisation declared outbreak that has spre to more than a dozen countries, including India, as a global health emergency.

death toll rose to 213, mostly of elderly people, after 43 new deaths all but one in Hubei, epicentre of outbreak, China's national health authorities said, ding that 1,982 new cases h been confirmed, bringing total to 9,692. About 20 countries, including India, UK, US, South Korea, Japan and France, have reported confirmed cases of virus in travellers coming from China.

WHO, which held an emergency meeting in Geneva on Thursday, on declared outbreak a global health emergency, a rarely used designation that could le to improved international co-ordination in tackling disease. "Our greatest concern is potential for virus to spre to countries with weaker health systems," WHO chief Tedros ham Ghebreyesus said as he anunced virus as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

Reacting to WHO anuncement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying in a press statement said, "Since outbreak of vel coronavirus epidemic, Chinese government has been taking most comprehensive and rigorous prevention and control measures with a high sense of responsibility for people's health."

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Many of se measures go well beyond requirements of International Health Regulations, she said. "We have full confidence and capability to win this fight against epidemic," said spokesperson. She said that at same time, Chinese side informed relevant sides and shared geme sequence of coronavirus in a timely manner with openness, transparency and a responsible attitude.

Hua said China has been in close communication and cooperation with WHO. "WHO experts recently conducted a field trip to Wuhan. Director-General Tedros ham Ghebreyesus also visited China and discussed containment and mitigation of 2019-nCoV with Chinese side," she said.

ting that Tedros commended China's efforts and spoke highly of China's great contribution to world by fighting against vel coronavirus, Hua said country will continue working with WHO and or countries to safeguard regional and global public health security, Xinhua news ncy quoted her statement. A number of airlines have halting or reduced flights to China as country struggles to contain spre of dely vel coronavirus.

China on Friday anunced that it will send charter flights to bring home residents of coronavirus-hit Hubei province, especially capital Wuhan, from abro. Foreign Ministry spokesperson in a statement said citizens from Hubei province will be brought back in view of "practical difficulties" y were facing abro.

move followed Chinese officials' anuncement that about five million people from Hubei province and capital Wuhan, epicentre of coronavirus, have travelled out of region before province was officially closed on January 23. se people are reported to have travelled within China and abro to avail weeklong holidays of Chinese New Year and ongoing Spring Festival.

India on Friday sent Air India's 423-seater jumbo B747 plane to Wuhan to evacuate Indian nationals. government has reached out to over 600 Indians living in China's Hubei province, epicentre of outbreak, to ascertain ir willingness to be brought back to India. number of confirmed cases exceeds 8,096 cases from SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) that spre to more than two dozen countries in 2002-03, and killed 774 people, mostly in China and Hong Kong. 

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