China’s death toll from coronavirus surpasses 250, as 11,791 people infected

The death toll arising from the outbreak of the deadly MERS & SARS-like disease known as coronavirus has surpassed 250 with 11,791 other people infected according to local health officials.

According to the new figures from China’s health officials, most of the latest fatalities are from Hubei province. The city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak is located in Hubei.

Children are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus outbreak, international aid group Save the Children said, as it expressed concern over its spread.

“While the Chinese government is taking effective measures to respond to this outbreak inside China, Save the Children is concerned about a potential outbreak in other parts of Asia where the healthcare systems won’t be able to adequately screen for the virus or treat patients who have contracted it,” Hassan Saadi Noor, the charity’s Asia Regional Director, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, health authorities in the United Kingdom and Thailand have both confirmed the first cases of the deadly coronavirus which is swiftly spreading across the globe.

READ ALSO: CORONAVIRUS: WHO declares outbreak a global emergency as death toll in China rises to 213

England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, said that the United Kingdom has confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus in two patients from the same family in England.

“The patients are receiving specialist NHS care, and we are using tried and tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus,” Chris Whitty said.

“The NHS is extremely well-prepared and used to managing infections and we are already working rapidly to identify any contact the patients had, to prevent further spread,” he added.

In Thailand, health authorities have also moved to confirm its first human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus inside the country with reports revealing that the patient is a Thai taxi driver.

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