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Factbox: Latest on coronavirus spreading in China and beyond

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Here are the latest developments around the coronavirus outbreak:

– The death toll in mainland China reached 1 770 as of Sunday-end, up by 105 from the previous day, while there were 2 048 new cases, bringing the total count to 70 548.

– In Hubei province, 1 933 new cases and 100 new deaths were reported — the lowest daily death count since Feb. 11.

– Outside China, more than 500 cases have been confirmed, mostly of people who traveled from Chinese cities, with five deaths in Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, France and Taiwan.

– China says a World Health Organization (WHO) delegation of experts will visit Beijing, and the provinces of Guangdong and Sichuan from Feb. 17 onwards.

– A top legislative body of the Chinese parliament will meet on Feb. 24 to discuss delaying the key annual March meeting of parliament due to the outbreak, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.

– Thailand recorded one new case of coronavirus, bringing the total in the country to 35 since January, a senior health official said.

– Japan evacuated more nationals from Wuhan, China on Monday. More than 400 people have now been infected in the country, with majority being passengers on a cruise ship docked off the country.

– Holland America Line said it is working with governments and health experts to track passengers who disembarked from its Westerdam cruise ship docked in Cambodia after an American woman tested positive for coronavirus in Malaysia.

– Seventy more people were confirmed with the virus on board the Diamond Princess on Sunday, bringing the number of cases from the ship to 355.

– Taiwan reported its first death from the virus and an elderly Chinese tourist hospitalized in France became the first fatality in Europe.

– China’s central bank cut the interest rate on its medium-term lending as policymakers sought to limit the damage caused to the economy. New home prices in the country grew at their weakest pace in nearly two years in January.

– Japan’s economy shrank at the fastest pace in almost six years in the December quarter as last year’s sales tax hike hit consumer and business spending, highlighting a fragile outlook made worse by growing coronavirus risks.

– Singapore on Monday cut its 2020 growth and exports forecasts due to an expected economic blow from the new coronavirus outbreak, flagging the chance of a recession this year.

– Asian shares reversed earlier losses and moved back toward a three-week top as Chinese efforts to cushion the blow from a coronavirus outbreak cheered investors, although Japanese stocks faltered amid growing recession risks.

 

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