Coronavirus: China death toll rises, evacuations continue

The death toll from the coronavirus epidemic in China has surged, with more than 17,200 infected. The updated figures came as authorities prepared to open a new 1,000-bed hospital to treat victims of the new virus.

The number of confirmed deaths from China's coronavirus outbreak has risen to 361, with Hubei province — the center of the outbreak — reporting 57 new deaths on Monday, according to the National Health Commission.

The death toll exceeds that of the 2002-03 SARS outbreak, which killed 349 people in mainland China. The commission also confirmed 2,829 new cases of the virus nationwide on Sunday, bringing the total number of people infected within China to 17,205. The total number globally is 17,300.

The World Health Organization has said the number of confirmed cases will keep growing because thousands of specimens from suspected cases have yet to be tested.

Chinese stocks plummeted by almost 9% at the start of trade on Monday as investors returned from the Lunar New Year break, which was extended due to virus fears. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index nosedived 8.73%, while the Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, sank 8.99%. 

New hospital brings relief

China has also finished building a 1,000-bed hospital to tackle the outbreak in Hubei province. Medical workers and equipment were sent to the brand new facility in the city of Wuhan on Monday, once it was completed after just 10 days of construction. 

Medical teams have continued to arrive in Wuhan to work at the new hospital, located in a rural area outside of the city center. Footage from the state-run broadcaster CCTV depicted wards equipped with new medical equipment and ventilation systems. Construction of a second hospital with 1,500 beds is currently underway.

Lockdown extended east

On Sunday, China's eastern port of Wenzhou became the first city outside of Hubei province to impose quarantine measures due to the outbreak. Wenzhou, a city of 9 million on China's east coast, is around 700 kilometers (430 miles) from Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus outbreak originated in December.

The city joins the 14 cities in Hubei province that remain on lockdown amid a rising death toll.

Families will only be allowed to send one family member out of the house every two days, and only to buy necessities, according to city authorities. Residents have also been advised not to leave their homes except to seek medical treatment.

First death outside China

The outbreak, which claimed its first life outside of China on Sunday, has spurred international evacuations out of Wuhan, railway closures and flight suspensions.

The Philippines reported the first coronavirus death outside of China on Sunday, after a 44-year-old Chinese man died a day earlier. He had traveled to the country from Wuhan via Hong Kong on January 21.

Twenty-four countries outside of China have reported cases, with Japan taking the lead with 20 cases and Thailand following with 19. In Europe, the virus has infected 10 people in Germany, six people in France, two each in the UK, Russia and Italy and one each in Sweden, Finland and Spain.

The G7 countries — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, all of which have confirmed cases of the virus — will discuss a joint response, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said Sunday. "There is no point in each country deciding on measures alone," he said.

Hong Kong medics strike

Hong Kong medical workers staged a walkout on Monday, demanding that the city close its border with China to prevent the virus from spreading. The city has 15 confirmed cases of the virus, most of which were brought over from the Chinese mainland.

Monday's strikers were "non-essential" staff, but the union has said that more essential workers, including doctors and nurses, would stage walkouts on Tuesday.

"If there is no full border closure, there won't be enough manpower, protective equipment, or isolation rooms, to combat the outbreak," said Winnie Yu, chairwoman of the 9,000-member Hospital Authority Employees Alliance.

Although the city has closed down some crossings, authorities have rejected calls to close the entire border, arguing that doing so would be discriminatory and economically damaging. Hong Kong's Hospital Authority has decried the strike, warning that half of pre-booked operations would be canceled or delayed by the action.

New measures in the US

US President Donald Trump said the country, which has confirmed 11 cases of the disease, has taken decisive action to protect Americans from the threat of the virus, while offering help to China. Beijing has not yet accepted the offers for assistance, according to a key US adviser.

Trump appeared to downplay concerns over the virus in an interview with Fox News on Sunday, saying, "We're gonna see what happens, but we did shut it down, yes."

The US has declared a public health emergency and has barred entry to foreign nationals who have recently visited China. Washington has also implemented measures to reroute its citizens traveling from China. Under the new rules, the Department of Homeland Security will send citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days to one of eight designated airports, where they will undergo additional health screening.