Mainland China reported another rise in cases early Monday as the number of deaths grew by 97, to 908. China’s health ministry said another 3,062 cases had been reported over the previous 24 hours, raising the Chinese mainland’s total to at least 40,171. That was an increase of 15% and broke a series of daily declines, perhaps signaling it was premature to think containment measures in China were beginning to work.
There have also been more than 300 confirmed cases outside China.
Japan is scrambling to control cases of coronavirus on the Princes Diamond cruise ship moored off Yokohama. Japanese officials reported some 60 additional cases on the ship Monday, for a total of roughly 130.There are at least 13 Americans with coronavirus on board and passengers have been confined to their rooms.
The confirmed deaths surpassed the total number who died during the 2003 SARS epidemic, which killed 774 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
All but two of the confirmed deaths have been in mainland China, with one in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong. As of Sunday, there were 12 confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S.
The U.S. embassy confirmed over the weekend that an American citizen diagnosed with coronavirus died at Jinyintian Hospital in Wuhan, China.
Planes carrying about 300 Americans from the Chinese city at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak arrived at military bases in California and Texas on Friday. Passengers are under a 14-day quarantine.
China is being criticized for failing to respond to early warnings about the coronavirus. Dr. Li Wenliang, who has since died from the virus, was silenced when he tried to sound the alarm. His mother wants authorities to explain why they reprimanded her son when he brought the virus to light.
