Death toll of China coronavirus rises to 811

BEIJING – The number of deaths from the new coronavirus has risen to 811 in mainland China, the country’s National Health Commission said on Sunday.

The death toll has therefore surpassed that of SARS, a respiratory disease that caused a global health scare in the early 2000s, and which also began in China.

Across China, 89 new deaths and 2,656 new confirmed cases were reported, the vast majority in the province of Hubei. According to the commission’s figures, health authorities have recorded a total of 37,198 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus since the beginning of the outbreak in December.

The outbreak’s epicenter is located in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province. There, the provincial health commission reported 2,147 new cases of the virus. Also 81 new deaths were reported over the last 24 hours in Hubei, bringing the total there to 780.

During the weekend, 6,200 medical personnel were flown to Wuhan, along with medical equipment, state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

Outside of mainland China, more than 300 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed.

However, the virus, which has spread to about two dozen countries, has only claimed the lives of two people outside China: a Chinese man in the Philippines and a man in Hong Kong. Both victims had been to Hubei.

The virus and associated travel bans and interruptions to supply chains have also begun to impact businesses, with Volkswagen joint ventures in China noting a halt to production at its factories.

SAIC Volkswagen postponed recommencing work at most of its plants, stopping production until Feb. 17 aside from at the Shanghai plant where work will resume Feb. 10.

The FAW Volkswagen joint venture will resume production as of Feb. 10, and only its Tianjin factory will remain closed through to Feb. 17.