2019-nCoV: WHO reports 73 new deaths in China

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports in its latest Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation Report that 73 more people infected with the new coronavirus have died in China.

The total death toll in China now stands at 637.

WHO also reports 962 new severe cases in China, with the total increasing to 4,821 in the country.

Overall, the number of confirmed cases in China have increased to 31,211, with 3,151 of them reported in the last 24 hours.

Outside of China, while no new countries reported cases of 2019-nCoV and there have been no deaths in the last 24 hours, 54 new confirmed cases have been reported.

The countries which reported (new) confirmed cases include Singapore (2), Republic of Korea (1), Australia (1), Malaysia (2), Vietnam (2), Canada (2), Germany (1), Italy (1) and the UK (1). Forty-one new cases were identified on a cruise ship currently in Japanese territorial waters.

WHO’s recommendations and advice for the public include frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment; avoiding close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections; and avoiding unprotected contact with farm or wild animals.

Moreover, WHO asks people with symptoms of acute respiratory infection to practice cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands).

WHO recommends to enhance standard infection prevention and control practices within healthcare facilities like hospitals, especially in emergency departments.

Read the full report on WHO’s website, here.

Image credit - BoyuZhang1998 (CC BY-SA 4.0)