The coronavirus outbreak that began in
the central Chinese city of Wuhan, in the province of Hubei, has
killed 106 people in China so far and infected more than 4 520
globally, most of them in China.
The virus has caused alarm because it is still too early to
know how dangerous it is and how easily it spreads between
people. Also because it is new, humans have not been able to
build immunity to it.
Here is what we know so far:
* As of January 27 the death toll in China had risen to 106,
with 100
in Hubei province, authorities reported. Another 4,515 people in
China had been infected. There were 2,714 confirmed cases in
Hubei province, up from 1,423 on Jan. 26.
* Thailand and Hong Kong have each reported eight cases of
infection; the United States, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore and
Macau have five each; Japan, South Korea and Malaysia each have
reported four; France three; Vietnam and Canada two each, and
one each in Germany, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
* No fatalities have been reported outside China.
* The previously unknown coronavirus strain is believed to
have
emerged late last year from illegally traded wildlife at an
animal market in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people.
A medical worker demonstrates how to correctly use masks for prevention in Wuying, a village on the border of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Picture: Huang Xiaoban/Xinhua
* Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Wuhan on Monday in an
apparent effort to boost morale in the city as Beijing moved to
display its intent to tackle the crisis seriously.
* The World Health Organisation said that while the outbreak
was
an emergency for China, it was not yet a global health
emergency.
* Severe travel restrictions have been put in place in
several
Chinese cities. In Wuhan, urban transport is shut and outgoing
flights suspended.
* Tangshan, China's largest steelmaking city in northern
Hebei
province, suspended all public transit within the city.
* Beijing suspended most bus services to Hebei province.
* Among other measures to contain the virus, China halted
all
group tours, affecting tourism both at home and to other
countries, from Jan. 27.
* China's Tibet Autonomous Region has temporarily closed all
tourist sites to prevent the virus spreading.
* The United States warned against travel to China, while
Canada
issued a warning against travel to Hubei province.
A medical worker in protective suit checks the body temperature of car passenger at a checkpoint outside the city of Yueyang. Picture: Thomas Peter/Reuters
* Asian stocks extended a global selloff on Tuesday as China
took
more drastic steps to combat the virus, raising concerns about a
drag on global economic growth.
* South Korea said it was going "all out" to contain the
outbreak
and vowed to stabilise financial markets should volatility
worsen.
* Countries including France, Italy, Japan, Australia and
the
United States are working to evacuate citizens from Wuhan.
* Some experts believe the virus is not as dangerous as the
2002-03 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that killed
nearly 800 people, or the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
(MERS), which has killed more than 700 people since 2012.