China reports 97 new deaths from coronavirus, bringing toll to more than 1,100

February 13, 2020 | 09:35

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The death toll from a coronavirus outbreak in mainland China had reached 1,113 as of the end of Tuesday (Feb 11), up by 97 from the previous day, the country's National Health Commission said on Wednesday.

China reports 97 new deaths from coronavirus, bringing toll to more than 1,100 (Daniel SLIM / AFP)

The central Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, reported 94 new deaths. This includes 72 deaths in the provincial capital of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.

Across mainland China, there were 2,015 new confirmed infections on Tuesday, the lowest since Jan 30. The total accumulated number so far has reached 44,653.

The new virus is believed to have emerged last year in a market that sells wild animals in Wuhan.

China's senior medical adviser said on Tuesday that the coronavirus outbreak in the country may be over by April, and the latest numbers of new cases may further feed that optimism.

The virus was officially named "COVID-19" at a conference in Geneva held by the World Health Organization, where the body's chief said countries had a chance of stopping its global spread.

WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday that although 99 per cent of cases are in China, where it remains "very much an emergency", it also "holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world".

He urged countries to share data in order to further research the disease.

Chinese authorities dismissed two senior health officials from Hubei on Tuesday, where tens of millions of people have been under lockdown since late last month, and tightened restrictions in Wuhan.

AFP

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