Coronavirus spreads globally as China sees drop

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - China said Monday it was seeing a reduction in fresh coronavirus cases as the global death toll crossed 3,000.

A new study on the viral infection has shown that the median age of the victims was 47 years, with an overwhelming majority of males.

China's National Health Commission said deaths from the virus, officially known as COVID-19, has risen to 2,914, with 202 new cases as of Sunday night.

So far, it has spread to 66 countries with more than 88,000 cases reported world over including those in China.

After China, South Korea singles out as the country with the most reported cases.

Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 599 new cases were recorded on Monday taking the total number of cases to 4,334.

With four new deaths, the country's death toll from COVID-19 has reached 26, Yonhap reported.

This has triggered a temporary travel ban to South Korea by 81 countries.

Japan has reported 962 cases, including more than 700 among people aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined near Tokyo. Schools across the country remain shut until April to curb the outbreak.

Likewise, Thailand reported a new case Monday taking the total to 43 since January.

Australia also confirmed its first cases of human-to-human transmission of the virus in New South Wales, ABC news reported. The country now has 25 coronavirus cases.

Health officials in New Zealand said they suspected two more cases of the fatal virus, but results have yet to come.

The country has placed a travel ban on foreigners arriving from China and Iran, the two hotspots of the virus, until March 10.