Coronavirus death toll in China soars to nearly 500; over 24,000 confirmed cases

The death toll in China due to the deadly Coronavirus has touched 490, as per the latest government reports. The government reported more deaths on Wednesday morning, leading to the crisis worsening.

The Chinese government also reported that the number of people infected had crossed 24,300 across the country. 

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Crisis deepens

The outbreak took place in Wuhan in January and multiple countries have started evacuating their citizens from the country, and have decided to restrict the entry of foreigners returning from China. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Coronavirus as a 'global public health emergency'. 

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Amidst the growing crisis, WHO has repeatedly stated that it stands by China for its efforts to tackle the crisis. Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently stated, "Let me be clear: this declaration is not a vote of no confidence in China. On the contrary, WHO continues to have confidence in China’s capacity to control the outbreak..To the people of China & to all of those around the world who have been affected by this outbreak, we want you to know that the stands with you."

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WHO has also repeatedly advised countries to not stop or decrease international travel and trade between countries since it will only keep information in a lockdown. Dr. Ghebreyesus has asked all member states of the United Nations to share information related to the virus and also facilitate public-private collaboration for the development of tools to end the outbreak. 

Three people have been confirmed with Coronavirus in India, all three of them are from Kerala and are being kept in isolation for now. The Kerala state government on Sunday declared the virus as a 'state calamity' so that the authorities can take all the necessary steps to tackle the situation.

(Image credits: AP)

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