South Korea reports 594 new coronavirus cases, raising total to 2,931

South Korea reported 594 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, its biggest daily increase since the first infection was confirmed on Jan. 20, taking its tally to 2,931 cases.

Of the new cases, 476 were from the southeastern city of Daegu, where a church at the centre of the outbreak is located, and 60 from the nearby province of North Gyeongsang, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.

The tally of deaths was 16, unchanged from a day earlier.

South Korea has suffered the largest outbreak of any country outside China, which has recorded more than 2,800 deaths and 79,000 infections since the epidemic began late last year in the central city of Wuhan.

The infographic illustrate how to reduce risk of coronavirus infection 

Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has recommended that ministers and diplomats skip travelling to a meeting in New York of the Commission on the Status of Women due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Friday.

More than 7,000 people usually attend the annual meeting, officials said, which is dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It is due to be held from March 9 to 20.

However, in a letter to U.N. member states from the chair of the commission, Armenia’s U.N. Ambassador Mher Margaryan said Guterres had recommended that member states “shorten and scale down the session” and cancel dozens of side events.

“He also strongly recommended that capital-based representatives refrain from traveling to headquarters for the session,” Margaryan wrote.

The bureau of the Commission on the Status of Women proposed that member states agree to Guterres recommendations at a meeting on Monday.

Video below is about the spread of coronavirus  across UK to Northern Ireland and Wales 

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Guterres made the recommendations given the “fast-evolving situation” with the coronavirus and the need to “balance the UN’s critical work and public health concerns.

“The advice given by the secretary-general is based on inputs from the Senior Emergency Policy Team and very close consultations between the U.N. Medical Services and the World Health Organization, Dujarric said.

The flu-like virus that emerged from central China late last year has spread to about 60 countries, infected more than 85,000people and killed almost 3,000, mostly in China.

Inforgraphic below illustrate the viral outbreaks in the last five years.