Wuhan virus death toll rises to 26 in China, with 830 infected

The spread of the contagious coronavirus, also known as the Wuhan virus (2019-nCoV), is growing rapidly in the mainland with China reporting that the death toll has now risen to 26 people as the country rushes to contain the outbreak. In spite of recent developments though, the WHO has stopped short of classifying it a global health emergency, citing that it’s still too early for that.

So far, most deaths have occurred in central China’s Hubei province, where Wuhan is its provincial capital. Two deaths have been reported outside of the Wuhan area, with one as far as 2000 km from the epicenter of the outbreak. China has since widened a lockdown in the Hubei province, with new travel restrictions set to affect at least 20 million people across 10 cities.

Closer to home, Malaysian authorities have put eight people in isolation to be monitored by health officials at a hotel in Johor Bahru for symptoms related with the virus. According to Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye, the eight people entered Malaysia from Singapore, where they had contact with the one person in Singapore confirmed to have the virus. It’s worth noting that he insists they’re not patients and are simply being observed just in case they develop any symptoms.

The Deputy Health Minister added that there were no cases in Malaysia so far, with all four suspected cases testing negative. The Health Ministry will also be beefing up its temperature screening for all passengers at all airports across the country.