Move FM Global News

BEIJING, China – Nearly a hundred people died in China on Sunday from coronavirus, according to China’s National Health Commission.

The official figure confirmed by the commission was 97.

Going into Monday, the death toll in China stood at 908. With one death in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong, the total number of deaths at the time of writing is 910.

The number of cases has rocketed past 40,000.

In China, the number of cases is now 40,171. Cases elsewhere in 27 other countries are a significantly more modest 539, taking the global number to 40,710.

An advance team from the World Health Organization (WHO) left the U.S. for China on Sunday. The team led by Dr Bruce Aylward, a veteran of past public health emergencies, including the current Ebola outbreak, was seen off by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Ghenreyesus on Sunday conceded “we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg.”

WHO on Sunday was provided with an update from Japanese National Health Authorities on the situation of the Cruise Ship Diamond Princess, which currently harboured in quarantine in Yokohama, Japan.

Following confirmation of a case of coronavirus, all crew and passengers are being quarantined for a 14-day period on board the vessel. They have been asked to stay in their cabins and to wear a mask when leaving their cabin.

All crew and passengers are closely followed-up and are medically examined and tested for the virus when displaying any signs or symptoms suggestive of coronavirus. The quarantine period will come to an end on 19 February, the officials said.

Epidemiological and environmental investigations are ongoing. As of Saturday, 64 individuals were found to have been infected with coronavirus among passengers and crew members. All individuals testing positive were disembarked and admitted for medical care in infectious disease hospitals in the Yokohama area.

Close contacts of the infected passengers are asked to remain in quarantine for 14 days from their last contact with a confirmed case. Thus, the quarantine period will be extended beyond the 19 February as appropriate only for close contacts of newly confirmed cases, the Japanese National Health officials said.

(Photo credit: Macau Photo Agency).