Philippines reports first coronavirus death outside China

Monday, 3 February 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

People queue up to buy protective face masks at a store in Manila, Philippines, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020 - Reuters

BEIJING/MANILA (Reuters): The Philippines yesterdays reported the first overseas death from the growing epidemic of a coronavirus that originated in China, where new confirmed infections jumped by a daily record to top 14,000 cases.

The Philippines Department of Health said a 44-year-old man from Wuhan city in central Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, had died after developing severe pneumonia. It was the first death out of more than 130 cases reported in around two dozen other countries and regions outside of mainland China.

The man who died was a companion of a 38-year-old Chinese woman, also from Wuhan, who was the first and only other person to test positive for the virus in the Philippines. Both patients arrived in the Philippines via Hong Kong on 21 January.

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in China had reached 304 as of the end of Saturday, State broadcaster CCTV said yesterday, citing the country’s National Health Commission.

All the new deaths in China and most of the new infections of the flu-like coronavirus on Saturday were in Hubei.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.