Published 06:54 IST, January 30th 2020
Coronavirus death toll rises to 170; over 7,700 confirmed cases in China
The Coronavirus epidemic is increasing at a terrifying pace every day as the death toll climbed to 170 on Thursday, against 132 deaths reported by Wednesday.
The deadly Coronavirus epidemic is increasing at a terrifying pace every day as the death toll climbed to 170 on Thursday, against 132 deaths reported by Wednesday. The China virus has infected nearly 7,711 people within the country as health experts warned that the disease may reach its climax in the next 10 days resulting in large-scale casualties.
On Wednesday, the Chinese health authorities had announced that 5,974 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions by the end of Tuesday. A total of 132 people lost their lives battling from the disease, state-run Xinhua news agency had reported.
As the unprecedented outbreak of deadly coronavirus sparked fears globally, India also requested the Chinese government for the permission to operate two flights to evacuate Indian nationals from Hubei Province of China. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar posted an update on January 29 that Indian Embassy in China is also currently in touch with the Chinese authorities for the necessary logistics to bring back Indians.
Previously, the US and Japan had rescued their citizens from Wuhan city in China, which is the epicentre of the fatal virus.
Breakthrough in Australia
In a recent breakthrough discovery, Australian scientists have successfully replicated the deadly new coronavirus in a laboratory. The authorities claimed that this constitutes a great breakthrough and moving forward this may allow the development of a vaccine that can be used for treatment.
The lab-grown samples will also help in identifying people who have the disease. Deputy Director of Doherty Institute in Melbourne, Dr Mike Catton told media that the samples will be used to generate antibodies that would help researchers and medical professionals to test suspected patients even if they don't outwardly show the symptoms. The antibodies will also help scientists determine the true mortality rate of the virus.
Updated 07:12 IST, January 30th 2020