Published 12:21 IST, February 21st 2020
China: Coronavirus claims 115 more lives in Hubei, death toll soars to 2247
The death toll in China soared to 2247 on February 21 after it confirmed 115 more people died in Hubei province, which is believed to be the epicentre of virus.
The death toll in China soared to 2247 on February 21 after the country confirmed that 115 more people died in Hubei province, which is believed to be the epicentre of the deadly outbreak. The majority of deaths were reported from the provincial capital of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December, according to the Hubei's health commission. Nearly 76000 have been infected by the new coronavirus in China and more cases have been reported in over 25 countries. The health commission in Hubei said that there were 411 new cases of the virus in the province with 319 in Wuhan and others were spread out across several other cities.
The disease spread to 20 more countries
China said on Thursday that it has modified its method of counting the patients with novel coronavirus and will only include those people diagnosed by laboratory tests. The novel coronavirus dubbed as COVID-19 first originated in Wuhan, Hubei province, the epicentre of the disease in late December 2019. The disease has spread to more than 20 countries worldwide since the outbreak.
Japan has reportedly confirmed seven new cases of the coronavirus. It includes a male doctor in his 30s who was onboard the quarantined cruise liner Diamond princess docked off on the coast of Yokohama, south of Japan. Health ministry issued guidelines in Japan for citizens showing symptoms similar to coronavirus, said reports. Citizens have been provided with specific hotlines to call in case of a health emergency.
Nations urge China to maintain transparency
Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong are the countries with most diagnosed cases of the coronavirus globally, according to reports. Singapore has 81 new confirmed cases of the COVID-19, while Hong Kong has reported 62. Meanwhile, a chartered plane is reportedly on its way to Japan to evacuate its citizens from Diamond Princess vessel in Japan, confirmed Global Affairs officials in Canada.
The nations worldwide have urged China to maintain transparency amid the ongoing crisis. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly said that the US is “hopeful” that China will increase its transparency in sharing information about the virus. China had earlier confirmed 121 new deaths but had also removed 108 fatalities from the total, as per reports. However, China’s National Health Commission had told the media that those were “duplicate statistics”.
Updated 12:21 IST, February 21st 2020