Beijing : An outbreak of a new coronavirus has spread to more Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, national and local authorities confirmed on Monday.
As the virus triggered panic, President Xi Jinping said curbing the outbreak and saving lives was a top priority as the number of patients more than tripled and a third person died. Adding to the difficulties of containing the virus, hundreds of millions of Chinese will be travelling domestically and abroad during the Lunar New Year holiday that starts this week. Authorities around the globe, including in the United States and many Asian countries, have stepped up screening of travellers from Wuhan, the central city where the virus was first discovered.
Authorities confirmed a total of 217 new cases of the virus in China as of 6 p.m. local time (1000 GMT) on Monday, state television reported, 198 of which were in Wuhan. Five new cases were confirmed in Beijing and 14 more in Guangdong province, the report said. Another statement confirmed a new case in Shanghai, bringing the number of known cases worldwide to 222.
South Korea too confirmed its first case, a 35-year-old Chinese national who had travelled from Wuhan, the fourth patient reported outside China. Last week, two cases were reported in Thailand and one in Japan. (Agencies)
