China said on Sunday that 17 more people had become infected with a new coronavirus strain, fanning fears it will spread further as hundreds of millions of people travel to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year.
TWO PEOPLE DIED
Three of those patients are seriously ill, according to a statement issued by the health commission in the central city of Wuhan, where all 62 of the cases in China have occurred.
Two people have died. Two cases have also been reported in Thailand and one in Japan – both involving people who traveled from Wuhan. One of the two patients in Thailand has recovered and was sent home to China on Saturday.
Wuhan officials have been providing updates on new cases almost daily since Jan. 11, and 17 is the highest number reported since then.
The World Health Organization said in a tweet on Sunday that some of the new cases appear not to be linked to the Huanan seafood market, believed to the center of the outbreak. Due to China’s efforts to implement broader screening, new cases may be identified in the coming days and weeks, it added.