The Philippines reported the first death outside China on Sunday from a new coronavirus that has now killed at least 304 people, infected thousands and spread to dozens of other countries.
The man who died in the Philippines was from Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the coronavirus is thought to have originated late last year. He was 44.
“This is the first reported death outside China,” Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the World Health Organisation (WHO) representative to the Philippines, told reporters.
“However, we need to take into mind that this is not a locally-acquired case. This patient came from the epicentre of this outbreak,” Abeyasinghe added.
In China, the authorities announced earlier that the death toll had risen to 304 in the 24 hours until midnight on Saturday, with the new deaths all reported in the hard-hit central province of Hubei.
Across China, there were 2,590 new confirmed infections, bringing the total so far to 14,380.
China is facing mounting isolation as countries step up travel restrictions and airlines suspend flights to and from the country. Many have pulled their citizens out of Wuhan in emergency airlifts, while China has laid on flights to bring its nationals home from overseas holidays.
More than 130 cases of the infection have been reported in some 24 other countries, mostly among people who recently travelled to or were visiting from Hubei province.
The man who died in the Philippines had been admitted to hospital in Manila on January 25 and died on Saturday.
“Over the course of the patient’s admission he developed severe pneumonia,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque said. “In his last few days, the patient was stable and showed signs of improvement. However, his condition deteriorated within the last 24 hours, resulting in his demise.”
The man was the partner of the country’s first reported case – a 38-year-old woman who had arrived from Wuhan and was not showing any symptoms. She remains in stable condition in hospital.
After the death was announced, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a wider travel ban including people from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, according to his adviser, Senator Bong Go..
SOURCE: Al Jazeera and News Agencies
