MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. The rate at which the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading in China continues to slow: according to China’s National Health Commission, in the past 24 hours, there have been about 100 new cases of infection. The total number of those infected in China comes up to 80,100 people, while over 47,200 have recovered from the disease. The number of victims has risen by 31, reaching 2,943 people.

The improvement of the situation in China has caused a surge at the New York Stock Exchange, with key indices rising by 4.5-5%. Chinese stocks in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong have also reported a surge. Brent and WTI oil prices have risen by 7% at an auction in London.

Coronavirus cases outside of China

At the same time, the number of states with reported cases of infection is on the rise: on Monday, first cases of COVID-19 were documented in Latvia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Tunisia.

The number of coronavirus cases in South Korea, where the largest outbreak of the virus outside of China has been detected, has risen by 477 in the past 24 hours, reaching 4,812, while 29 people have succumbed to the disease, South Korean officials inform.

Italy continues to report the highest numbers in Europe: 1,835 people infected, including 52 deaths. In France, the number of coronavirus cases has surpassed 190, with three people dead. New cases of infection have been documented in Spain, Germany, Switzerland and several other states, including Belarus, where the number of those infected has risen to three.

The number of coronavirus deaths has increased from two to five in the US state of Washington. US President Donald Trump stated that the US government is considering additional travel restrictions to combat the spread of the infection. He did not rule out declaring a national emergency due to coronavirus, however, he noted that so far, it is premature.

US Vice President Mike Pence stated that the US might develop new medicine to combat the symptoms of the disease by summer or early fall.

On Monday, a man who returned from Italy tested positive for COVID-19 in Moscow. The officials ruled to hospitalize 24 people and quarantine 80 of those who came into contact with the infected man on their way to Moscow and after arriving in the Russian capital. All of them will be tested for coronavirus.

As of Tuesday morning, there have been no new cases of coronavirus in Russia, the press service of the Russian Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare informed.

In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. WHO declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus a global health emergency and named the virus COVID-19. Cases of coronavirus have been reported in over 70 countries, including Russia.