Philippines records first case of coronavirus as death toll in China hits 304

Health officials in the Philippines have recorded the first case of coronavirus infection in the country but the patient unfortunately died after contracting the deadly disease which has spread across the globe.

According to health officials, the 44-year-old man who died in the Philippines was from Wuhan, in China where the deadly coronavirus is thought to have originated late last year.

“This is the first reported death outside China,” Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the World Health Organization representative to the Philippines, told reporters.

“However, we need to take into mind that this is not a locally-acquired case. This patient came from the epicentre of this outbreak,” Abeyasinghe added.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus spreads, as UK, Thailand confirm first cases

Meanwhile, health officials in China say the death toll arising from the outbreak of the virus has climbed from 250 to 304, and has infected thousands and spread to dozens of other countries.

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.

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