BEIJING: The number of confirmed deaths from China’s coronavirus outbreak rose to 490 on Wednesday.
According to Chinese health officials, in ground-zero Hubei province 65 new fatalities reported. The health officials in Hubei, which have been hit hardest by the virus, confirmed infections with 3,156 new cases.
That puts the national total over 23,500, based on numbers previously issued by the Chinese government.
According to Health Minister Nobukatsu Kato, the latest figures showed an increase of 65 deaths from the previous day, all the new deaths from Wuhan city. The number of new cases increased to 24,324, a rise of 3,887 from the previous day.
he said Outside China, at least 180 cases have been confirmed, including two fatalities, one in Hong Kong and another in the Philippines.
To treat the thousands of patients, China shifted to new build hospitals and converted a gymnasium, exhibition hall and cultural center in Wuhan.
The coronavirus, which has spiraled into a global health emergency, is supposed to have emerged in December from a market that sold wild game in Wuhan city.
Earlier on Tuesday, Hong Kong confirmed its first death from the disease, as the semi-autonomous city closed all but two land crossings to the Chinese mainland.