Potential for a 'much larger outbreak' remains, according to the World Health Organization
Thomson Reuters · Posted: Jan 29, 2020 7:11 PM ET
China's National Health Commission said on Thursday the total number of confirmed deaths from the coronavirus in the country has risen by 38 to 170 as of the end of day Wednesday, as the number of infected patients rose by more than 1,700.
The commission said in a statement there are now 7,711 confirmed cases, with an additional 12,167 suspected cases. Of the new deaths, 37 were in the epicenter of the outbreak in Hubei province and one was in the southwestern province of Sichuan.
The majority have been in Hubei, where the city of Wuhan is located. Foreign governments have begun flying their citizens out of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, and the city has gone into a virtual quarantine as authorities try to contain the virus.
Cases have been detected elsewhere in China and in at least 15 other countries. Dozens of infections have been confirmed in: Taiwan, Australia, Cambodia, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, the United States and Canada.
