Feb 9, 2020 - Health

Coronavirus global death toll surpasses SARS

A medical staff member walks past Wuhan Central Hospital in China on Friday. Photo: Costfoto/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

The novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, has now killed more people than the 2003 SARS outbreak, the latest health figures show.

What's happening: Health authorities in China's Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, reported 81 new deaths from the virus on Saturday — taking the toll in the region to 780. China's National Health Commission confirmed later Saturday that a total of 811 people have died of coronavirus in the country.

Context: SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, killed 774 people, World Health Organization figures show. SARS is caused by a coronavirus, similar to 2019-nCoV.

The big picture: The novel coronavirus has infected more than 37,000 people as of 9:30 pm Saturday — including a 60-year-old U.S. citizen who died from the virus in Wuhan on Thursday.

One person, who was a resident of Wuhan, died in the Philippines last Saturday.

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Axios

World coronavirus updates: Recoveries exceed 300,000

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

China has lifted its lockdown of Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus outbreak was first reported, as other governments around the world tighten restrictions to stop the spread. Global recoveries surpassed 300,000 on Tuesday.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed over 82,000 people and infected 1.4 million others globally as of Tuesday, per Johns Hopkins data. Spain has reported the most cases outside the U.S. (more than 141,000) and Italy the most deaths (over 17,000) as half the planet's population is now on lockdown.

Go deeperUpdated 32 mins ago - Health

Rebecca Falconer

U.S. evacuee with coronavirus initially discharged from hospital

Personnel in biological hazard suits welcome passengers evacuated from Wuhan, China, at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California. Photo: Matt Hartman/AFP via Getty Images

An evacuee from Wuhan, China, who became the 13th person in the U.S. to be infected with the novel coronavirus, was initially mistakenly released from a California hospital, UC San Diego Health said in a statement Monday.

Details: Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told San Diego Public Health "four patients being evaluated for 2019-nCoV at UC San Diego Health had tested negative for the virus," according to the statement. They were discharged and returned to federal quarantine at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar "at the CDC's direction," it said.

Go deeperFeb 11, 2020 - Health

Rebecca Falconer, Eileen Drage O'Reilly

China replaces Hubei officials as death toll and cases jump

An exhibition center converted into a hospital for patients displaying mild symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province, on Feb. 5. Photo: STR/AFP via Getty Images

China's Communist Party replaced two top health officials in Hubei province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, state media reports, as infection rates soared following a diagnosis criteria revision Thursday.

Why it matters: Jiang Chaoliang and Ma Guoqiang were removed from their posts following "public outrage over authorities' handling of the crisis," per the Washington Post.

Go deeperUpdated Feb 13, 2020 - Health