BEIJING, February 10. /TASS/. The number of foreign nationals infected with the novel coronavirus in China has reached 27, two people have died, three others have recovered, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Monday.
"We have already informed the respective states of their death. <…> One of those who died is an ethnic Chinese, he is a US citizen," he told reporters at a regular press briefing.
On December 31, 2019, the Chinese authorities reported to the World Health Organization about an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, an economic and industrial metropolis with a population of 11 million. The virus - 2019-nCoV - was identified on January 7, 2020. Apart from China, 24 other countries, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases. According to the latest data, the overall number of people who contracted the novel coronavirus in China has reached 40,200. 909 people have died and 3,300 have recovered.
The World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, describing it as an epidemic with multiple locations.