China’s New Coronavirus Cases Drop Below 50; Only 3 Cases Reported From Outside Wuhan

Chinese health authorities said on Sunday (8 March) that the number of new coronavirus cases in the mainland had dropped to less than 50, which marked a new low since the outbreak was first reported last December.

The National Health Commission said 44 new cases had been reported by the end of Saturday - all from the capital of Hubei province Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, except for three imported cases, of which two were in Beijing and one in Gansu in the northwest, reports the South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper.

No new infections were reported in the rest of Hubei province outside Wuhan.

The Commission said that were 27 new fatalities, all in Hubei, taking the overall death toll in the mainland to 3,097 with a total of 80,695 cases.

On Saturday, Italy, which has registered the most deaths from COVID-19 outside of China, began locking down of much of its northern Lombardy region due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus that has caused 233 deaths and infected 5,883 others in the worst-hit European country, Efe news reported.

The measure to fight a "national emergency", announced by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, puts in isolation some 16 million people of the quarantined red zone that includes Milan and Venice.

On Sunday, South Korean authorities reported 367 new cases of the virus, bringing the number of infected people to 7,134 in the second worst-hit country after China. The death toll has increased to 50 in the country.

Meanwhile, Washington DC on Saturday confirmed its first coronavirus patient - a 50-year-old who doesn''t have any recent international travel history, Mayor Muriel Bowser said.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared emergency as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the northeastern state rose to 76.

According to figures released by the SCMP on Sunday, the countries which have registered coronavirus cases besides China are South Korea (7,134), Italy (5,883), Iran (5,823), Japan (1,159, including 696 from Diamond Princess), France (949), Germany (639), the US (over 420, including 21 in Grand Princess), Spain (374), the UK (209), Netherlands (188), Switzerland (181), Singapore (138), Belgium (109), Hong Kong (108), Sweden (101), Malaysia (93), Norway (86), Australia (74), Greece (66), Kuwait (58), Bahrain (56), Austria (55), Canada (51), Egypt (48), Thailand (47), Taiwan (45), the UAE (45), India (39), Iraq (26), Iceland (26), San Marino (23), Denmark (18), Vietnam (18), Algeria (17), Oman (16), Lebanon (16), Israel (15), Ecuador (14), Ireland (13), Brazil (13), Finland (12), Czech Republic (12), Macau (10), Croatia (10), Portugal (nine), Georgia (nine), Qatar (eight), Palestine (seven), Chile (seven), Romania (six), Slovenia (six), Belarus (six), Pakistan (six), Peru (six), Philippines (six), Mexico (five), New Zealand (five), Russia (four), Indonesia (four), Senegal (four), Azerbaijan (three), Hungary (three), Estonia (three), Malta (three), Dominican Republic (two), Bosnia and Herzegovina (two), South Africa (two), and one each in Argentina, Colombia, Cameroon, Poland, Gibraltar, Monaco, Morocco, Nepal, Cambodia, Saudi Arabia, Latvia, Serbia, Bhutan, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Costa Rica, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Armenia, Lithuania, Andorra, Togo, Tunisia, Ukraine, Luxembourg, Afghanistan, Paraguay, Vatican City, and Jordan.

Deaths outside China were reported in Italy (233), Iran (145), South Korea (50), the US (19), France (16), Japan (13), Spain (eight), Australia (three) Iraq (two), the UK (two), Hong Kong (two), Switzerland (one), the Netherlands (one), Thailand (one), Taiwan (one) and Philippines (one).

(With inputs from IANS)