Beijing, Feb. 8 (Saba) - China's National Health Commission said Saturday that the number of deaths from Corona Virus infection in mainland China reached 722 by the end of Friday, an 86-year increase over Thursday.
Central China's Hubei Province reported 81 new deaths, while 67 people died in Wuhan, the provincial capital.
Across mainland China, there were 3,399 new confirmed cases on Friday, bringing the total number of infections so far to 31,774.
The new corona virus on china's mainland is almost certain to become more deadly than acute respiratory infection (SARS) after more than 700 deaths on Saturday, and is expected to exceed the 774 deaths recorded globally during the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak.
So far, only two deaths have been reported outside mainland China, with Hong Kong and the Philippines among 332 cases in 27 countries and regions.
During the SARS outbreak between November 2002 and July 2003, 774 people died worldwide, while 8,098 cases were reported, indicating a much lower transmission rate than CORONA but a higher mortality rate.
After China recorded its first daily decline in the number of new infections on Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was too early to determine whether the outbreak had peaked.
The first cases were detected last December at a seafood market in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, where wild animals are sold illegally.
The authorities in Beijing closed cities, canceled flights and closed factories to contain the epidemic, which had repercussions on global markets and dependent companies on the world's second largest economy.
WHO experts say they have not seen the same rapid increase in cases of infection in provinces outside Hubei or in the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau, which were severely affected by SARS.
In Japan, the Ministry of Health said today, Saturday, that tests had confirmed that three other people on board a cruise ship off Japan were infected with the Corona virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases from the ship to 64.
The ministry said on Friday that the options showed 41 people on board the Diamond Princess ship had been infected with the Corona virus, in addition to 20 other cases previously identified with the transfer of the injured to hospitals on land.
The ship was placed under quarantine for two weeks upon its arrival in Yokohama on February 3.
IM
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