Coronavirus Death Toll Mounts To 908 In China, Country Announces Reward For Undergoing Test

The commission also reported 91 deaths were in Hubei province, the epicentre of the epidemic. Two deaths in Anhui, and one each in Heilongjiang, Jiangxi, Hainan and Gansu, were also reported.

Around 908 people have lost their lives in China due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, while the number of confirmed cases rose over 40,000, Chinese health officials confirmed on Monday. (ANI)

Hubei: Around 908 people have lost their lives in China due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, while the number of confirmed cases rose over 40,000, Chinese health officials confirmed on Monday. According to China's National Health Commission, there were 97 deaths and 3,062 new confirmed cases of the lethal infection on Sunday. The commission also reported 91 deaths were in Hubei province, the epicenter of the epidemic. Two deaths in Anhui, and one each in Heilongjiang, Jiangxi, Hainan and Gansu, were also reported. A total of 908 people have died of the disease and 40,171 confirmed cases of the outbreak were reported in 31 provincial-level regions so far, it said. On Sunday, as many as 3,281 patients have been discharged from hospital after recovery. So far, over 630 people, including 356 in Hubei, have been discharged, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the commission as saying. Meanwhile, the Chinese authorities have urged the masses to come forward to undergo coronavirus tests and have also announced a 1,000 yuan (around $143) reward for the people reaching the hospital to get tested for the epidemic. The Hubei province administration has taken this initiative after noticing that the streets of Wuhan, a city with over 1 crore population, have started looking deserted. People, fearing infection, have confined themselves to their houses. The novel coronavirus was first detected in China's Wuhan city in late December and has since spread to more than 25 countries. On Sunday, the new coronavirus even surpassed the fatalities caused by the SARS epidemic in 2003. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared a global health emergency in the wake of the outbreak. Meanwhile, WHO's international expert mission led by Dr Bruce Aylward embarked for China. (with inputs from agencies)