The number of deaths from China's new coronavirus epidemic jumped to 722 on Saturday, surpassing the toll from the SARS outbreak on the mainland and Hong Kong almost two decades ago.
A 60-year old US citizen diagnosed with coronavirus died at Jinyintan Hospital in China’s Wuhan on February 6, a US embassy spokesman in Beijing said on Saturday, in what appeared to be the first death of an American from the outbreak.
“We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss,” said the spokesman. “Out of the respect for the family’s privacy, we have no further comment.”
In its daily update, China's national health commission also confirmed 3,399 new cases. There are now more than 34,500 confirmed infections across the country and more than 34,800 cases globally.
Thailand’s public health ministry reported seven new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, including three Thais and four Chinese.
The new cases brought the total in the country to 32.
The United Arab Emirates have reported a total of seven cases diagnosed with the virus.
More deaths than SARS
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a disease in the same family as the new coronavirus, left nearly 650 people dead in mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003.
More than 120 others died around the world.
China has struggled to contain the current virus despite having placed some 56 million people under effective lockdown in Hubei and its provincial capital, Wuhan.
Other cities far from the epicentre have also taken measures to keep people indoors, limiting the number of individuals who can leave their home.
Friday's death of a 34-year-old Wuhan doctor who was punished for raising the alarm about the virus in December sparked an outpouring of grief and anger over the government's handling of the crisis.
The virus has spread to two dozen countries, prompting several governments to ban arrivals from China and urge their citizens to avoid travelling to the country. Some have recommended their citizens leave China.
Major airlines have suspended flights to and from China.
At least 61 people aboard a cruise ship off Japan have tested positive for the new coronavirus, with thousands of passengers and crew facing a two-week quarantine.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS, AFP)
