Death Toll Topped 100 in China from CoronaVirus

Publisher: The Insight Partners

The death toll from the Wuhan coronavirus has topped 100, with more than 4,500 cases confirmed across China, as US authorities warned against all "non-essential" travel to China.

Authorities in Hubei, the Chinese province at the center of the outbreak, said an additional 1,300 cases had been confirmed, bringing the total in the region to over 2,700. The majority of those are still in hospital, with more than 125 in critical condition.

Elsewhere in China, cases have been confirmed in every province and territory except for Tibet, which this week announced the indefinite closure of all tourist attractions and a mandatory two-week quarantine for all travelers entering the region.

On Monday, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a level 3 alert warning against "all nonessential travel to China." -- its highest alert on a scale of 1 to 3.

"There is an ongoing outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that can be spread from person to person," the CDC said in a statement, warning "there is limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas."

Worldwide concern

More than a dozen countries around the world have confirmed cases of the Wuhan virus, as authorities struggle to stop its spread.

Across Asia, numerous countries have put in extra screening at airports and warned citizens to avoid travel to China. To China's north, neighboring Mongolia has imposed stringent border checks on travelers coming into the country, while the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong in the south has banned all visitors from Wuhan, amid calls for tighter controls on travel from the mainland.

Indonesia and the Philippines have both introduced extra restrictions on Chinese tourists, while Japan has upgraded its response, allowing authorities to "force the suspicious cases for hospitalization and testing."

Speaking at a meeting with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres Monday, China's ambassador to the UN said the country has "full capability and confidence in winning the battle against the epidemic."

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