Beijing: A fourth person has died in an outbreak of deadly coronavirus in China, while the total number of confirmed cases in the country stood at 218 by Monday night, health authorities have said.
South China Morning Post cited one of China’s leading Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) expert, as confirming that the virus could be transmitted between humans and that it was likely to have originated from wild animals.
The total number of cases reported in Wuhan alone has reached 198. The virus, which causes pneumonia-like symptoms, is thought to have originated in a seafood and animal meat market in Wuhan.
Five cases have been reported in Beijing, 14 in Guangdong, and one in Shanghai. The virus is so far known to have spread to Thailand, South Korea, and Japan.