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CHINA-HEALTH-VIRUS-TOLL
China’s Hubei province reports 96 new virus deaths
BEIJING, Feb 23, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The death toll in China from the
coronavirus epidemic rose past 2,400 on Sunday after 96 more people died in
Hubei province, the hard-hit epicentre of the outbreak.
The vast majority of the deaths were in the provincial capital of Wuhan,
where the virus first emerged in December, according to the daily update from
the Hubei health commission.
The province also reported 630 new confirmed cases, bringing the total
within China to around 77,000.
The coronavirus has spread to more than 25 countries and is causing
mounting alarm due to new pockets of outbreak in Europe, the Middle East, and
Asia.
China has sowed confusion about its numbers by repeatedly changing its
counting methods, which could further complicate efforts to track the
contagion.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0850 hrs