BEIJING, 8 March 2020:
The Chinese health authority today said it received reports of 44 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 27 deaths yesterday on the Chinese mainland – a significant decrease from 99 reported a day earlier.
According to the National Health Commission, the 27 deaths were in Hubei Province, reported Xinhua news agency.
Meanwhile, 84 new suspected cases were reported, said the commission.
Yesterday also saw 1,661 people discharged from hospital after recovery, while the number of severe cases decreased by 225 to 5,264.
The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 80,695 by the end of yesterday – including 20,533 patients who were still being treated, 57,065 patients who had been discharged after recovery, and 3,097 people who had died of the disease.
The commission said that 458 people were still suspected of being infected with the virus.
The commission added 23,074 close contacts were still under medical observation – with 4,021 people discharged yesterday from medical observation.
Three imported cases of novel coronavirus infection were reported on the mainland, including two in Beijing and one in Gansu Province. By the end of yesterday, 63 imported cases had been reported, said the commission.
It also noted 109 confirmed cases – including two deaths = had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 10 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 45 in Taiwan including one death.
Fifty-five patients in Hong Kong, 10 in Macao and 13 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospital after recovery.
South Korean authorities today said 367 new cases of the virus were confirmed, bringing the number of infected people to 7,134 in the second worst-hit country after China.
Iran has confirmed almost 6,000 coronavirus infections and 145 deaths – a second MP was reportedly among those to have died in Iran, where health officials fear the number of cases may actually be much higher as 21 deaths were reported for the day.
Iran’s health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said over 16,000 people were currently being tested in the country while 1,669 people with the illness had recovered.
Total deaths in US rose to 19 and a cruise ship with infected passengers remained stranded outside San Francisco.
– Bernama, EFE