First coronavirus death outside China confirmed in Philippines as more Brits set to be evacuated

Luke O'Reilly2 February 2020

The coronavirus has claimed its first fatality outside of China as the UK prepares to take a second raft of evacuees.

The Philippines Department of Health said a 44-year-old man from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, had died in a Manila hospital after developing severe pneumonia.

It was the first death out of more than 130 cases reported in around two dozen other countries and regions outside of mainland China.

The man who died was with a 38-year-old Chinese woman, also from Wuhan, who was the first and only other person to test positive for the virus in the Philippines.

Both patients arrived in the Philippines via Hong Kong on January 21.

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The death toll currently stands at 305 confirmed fatalities, with 19,544 suspected of being infected with the virus.

It comes as eleven more British nationals are reportedly arriving in the UK from Wuhan on Sunday after missing the first evacuation flight on Thursday.

The second raft of evacuees from the coronavirus-stricken city is being flown into the UK via France, the BBC reported.

The initial contingent of 83 citizens are currently being quarantined in Birkenhead.

Two members of the same family have also been diagnosed with the virus in York. One of the infected was a student at York University.

The university has confirmed that the student was not on campus or in student accommodation, either in the period before or after being exposed to the virus.

China's death toll from the outbreak reached 304 as of the end of Saturday, state broadcaster CCTV said on Sunday, citing the country's National Health Commission.

The UK had its first confirmed cases of coronavirus in York
AP

The world's second largest economy is facing mounting isolation as other countries introduce travel curbs, airlines suspend flights and governments evacuate their citizens.

The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the virus a public health emergency of international concern, but said global trade and travel restrictions are not needed.

However, some countries are responding to fears of the virus spreading by ramping up border controls.

Singapore and the United States announced measures on Friday to ban foreign nationals who have recently been in China from entering their territories, and Australia followed suit on Saturday.

Russia introduced visa restrictions and will start evacuating Russian citizens on Monday and Tuesday, Interfax and TASS news agencies reported.

The Philippines expanded its travel ban to include all foreigners coming from China, widening an earlier restriction that covered only those from Hubei.

The UK is preparing to receive a second group of evacuees from China
AFP via Getty Images

New Zealand and Vietnam also barred foreigners who have been in China, with Vietnam saying it would halt all flights to and from China.

Taiwan is asking its diplomats to talk to governments where Taiwanese airlines fly to ensure more flights are not cut off due the island's inclusion by the WHO as part of China due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Nations continue to evacuate citizens from China.

More than 100 Germans and family members landed in Frankfurt on Saturday after being evacuated from Wuhan. Around 250 Indonesians were being evacuated from Hubei.​

China has completed construction of one of the two new dedicated hospitals in Wuhan to treat coronavirus patients, state media reported Sunday. Huoshenshan, a hospital with 1,000 beds, was built in eight days and can admit patients from Monday, the report said.​

Hubei has been under virtual quarantine for the last week, with roads sealed off and public transport shut down. The province extended its Lunar New Year holiday break to Feb. 13 in a bid to contain the outbreak.

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