First coronavirus death in Europe, with more than 68,000 cases globally

There were 139 more deaths due to the coronavirus in Hubei province on Saturday, the health authorities there said this morning. That raises the death toll at the epicenter of the outbreak to 1,596.

The global death toll now stands at 1,666, with the vast majority of those deaths in mainland China. Japan, France, the Philippines and Hong Kong have also each recorded one death. The French case, reported on Saturday, was the first outside of Asia.

More than 1,800 additional cases of the virus were confirmed Saturday, Hubei authorities said, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 56,249. China has changed the way it counts cases in recent days, now including "clinically diagnosed" cases as well as those confirmed by scientific testing, to allow more people to access the required treatment.

The global tally: There have been 68,940 cases of the virus recorded worldwide, with the vast majority in mainland China.

Recovering patients: Across Hubei, more than 5,600 patients have recovered from the virus and been discharged from hospital. Tens of thousands remain hospitalized, however, and the province's health system has at times struggled to cope, despite extra funding and staff from the central government.

China’s National Health Commission is expected to release numbers for all the country's provinces and regions later.

Let's block ads! (Why?)