Coronavirus outbreak: Washington DC confirms three new cases

Health officials in the United States have confirmed three new cases of coronavirus in the national capital. According to reports, Washington D.C. on Monday night confirmed that three more people have tested positive for the deadly virus. Media reports further suggest that one of the patients who tested positive for COVID-19 visited Christ Church in Georgetown, where a rector had tested positive earlier. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday asked anyone who visited the church on February 24, or between February 28 and March 3 to self-quarantine themselves as a precaution. 

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As per reports, the rector had given communion to more than 500 parishioners a week before testing positive for coronavirus. Timothy Cole, Rector of Christ Church in Georgetown shared an email with his parishioners informing them that he had tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday. Cole in his email also confirmed that all services and meetings at Christ Church have been suspended until further notice. The church reportedly cancelled services for the first time since the 19th century.  

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US has over 700 cases

As per data from worldometer, United States has confirmed over 700 cases of coronavirus, of which 35 cases have been reported in the last 36 hours. The report suggests that 15 people in the country have recovered fully and 8 are still under critical condition. So far 27 patients in the United States have lost their lives due to the virus outbreak.  

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The novel coronavirus has claimed more than 4,000 lives across the globe and has infected over 1,14,000 people around the world since it first broke out in December 2019. China is the most affected country in the world as experts believe that the virus originated from a seafood market in Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally. More than 900 people have lost their lives outside mainland China, of which 463 deaths have been reported from Italy alone. 

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(Image Credit: AP)