China confirmed an additional 15 deaths on Friday from the so-called Wuhan virus, officially known as Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV.

Wuhan, the Chinese city of 11 million where the outbreak sparked, is in virtual lockdown.

Around the world, 1,000 people are now confirmed infected with the new virus. Health authorities are working to prevent a global pandemic.

EARLIER TODAY: Second U.S. case of Wuhan coronavirus 2019-nCoV confirmed by CDC

From Reuters:

The Health Commission of Hubei Province said in a statement published early Saturday that 180 new cases had been reported as of end-Friday, putting the total number of confirmed patients in the province at 752.

All 15 deaths reported by the commission occurred in Wuhan, the province’s capital and epicenter of the outbreak that has been in virtual quarantine as China scrambles to contain the virus spread. There has been no new national-level data available yet from Chinese authorities. The National Health Commission on Friday had confirmed 830 cases.

The vast majority of the cases and all of the 41 confirmed deaths to date have been in China, but the virus has also been detected in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Nepal, France and the United States. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus an “emergency in China” this week but stopped short of declaring it of international concern. The virus continues to spread globally, however: French authorities reported Europe’s first confirmed cases on Friday evening.

More at Reuters: China virus death toll rises to 41, more than 1,000 infected [reuters.com] Read the rest

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