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Number of infected with new coronavirus rises to almost 2,000 in China, 56 die

The condition of 324 patients is assessed as serious

© AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File

BEIJING, January 26. /TASS/. The number of confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by a new type of coronavirus new coronavirus in China has increased up to 1,975, the number of deaths has reached 56, China’s State Health Committee reported on Sunday. The condition of 324 patients is assessed as serious.

Earlier, Chinese authorities reported 1,743 infected and 54 dead.

About 2,700 people may be infected, but their diagnosis has not yet been confirmed. About 21,500 people in China had close contacts with the infected and are under the supervision of doctors.

According to the Chinese authorities, the most cases of infection (1,052) were confirmed in Hubei Province and its administrative center Wuhan, where the 2019-nCoV coronavirus initially began to spread. The same region accounts for the largest number of victims-52 people. Cases of new type of pneumonia have been reported in Beijing (51) and Shanghai (40).

The Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019 about the outbreak of pneumonia of unknown origin in Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center with a population of over 11 million people. The pathogen, the 2019-nCoV coronavirus, was identified on January 7.

The novel coronavirus cases have also been reported in Australia, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, the United States, Thailand, France and Japan. The WHO has recognized the virus outbreak as a national emergency for China but has so far refrained from declaring it a global health emergency.

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