A Chinese man has died in the Philippines from the novel coronavirus, making it the first death from the outbreak recorded outside China.
The 44-year-old man was from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, which is at the epicenter of the outbreak, and had travelled to the Philippines..
China’s death toll from the raging novel coronavirus outbreak has risen to 304, health officials said on Sunday with the total number of persons sickened from the virus crossing the 14300-mark.
Both the rate of the deaths and the number of new daily infections are rising, the new numbers show with Saturday recording the highest number of deaths in a single day.
Until Saturday midnight, there were 2590 new cases of the infection, bringing the total to 14380, health officials said at their daily morning briefing.
At least 183 cases of the virus have been reported from Beijing.
Chinese researchers have said the previously unknown strain can be transmitted via vomit and feces.
China’s national health commission (NHC) has said the deceased “…should be cremated close by and immediately. Burials or transfer of the bodies not allowed. Funerals not allowed to avoid spread of the virus”.
Huanggang, a city bordering Wuhan, the center of the epidemic, has become the second city to have more than 1,000 people infected with the coronavirus.
Earlier this week, the WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, adding that global trade and travel restrictions were not needed.
But countries began imposing drastic measures almost immediately.
Singapore and the United States have announced they would ban foreign nationals who have recently been in China from entering their territories.
Australia followed on Saturday.
India, meanwhile, has evacuated 647 nationals from the central Chinese province of Hubei and its capital, Wuhan, in two flights that took off Saturday and Sunday.
At least seven Maldivians were among those evacuated in the special flights operated by India’s national carrier, Air India.
At least 10 Indians were not allowed to board the two flights as pre-boarding temperature screening recorded high body temperature.
The Russian military was to start evacuating Russian citizens from China on Monday and Tuesday, Interfax and TASS news agencies reported.
