With 86 deaths due to coronavirus recorded on a single day, Friday marked the deadliest day for China ever since the virus was first discovered earlier this year. With the latest fatalities, the total number of deaths from the fatal virus has reached an alarming 722 in China alone while nearly 35,000 people have been infected.
The data was provided by China's National Health Commission who maintained that most of the cases were found in Hubei province and its capital Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus.
US citizen dies in China
A 60-year-old US citizen became the first foreign national who succumbed to the virus while undergoing treatment in China. Even though the authorities refrained from providing additional details about the dead US national, it said that the US national was admitted to Wuhan's Jinyintan Hospital.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said: "We can confirm a 60-year old U.S. citizen diagnosed with coronavirus died at Jinyintian Hospital in Wuhan, China on February 6. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss. Out of respect for the family's privacy, we have no further comment," it said.
Another foreign national from Japan also died after suffering due to the virus. The Japanese man showed the flu-like symptoms following which he was admitted in the hospital at Wuhan. Japan's foreign ministry while citing Chinese medical authorities said: "The man in his sixties was suspected of having been infected with the coronavirus but due to difficulties in diagnosing the disease the cause of death was given as viral pneumonia."
China takes extreme measures to contain the threat from virus
To check the spread of the deadly virus that has already infected more than 320 people across the globe, China has started quarantining entire cities in the Hubei province. The government has also placed stringent travel restrictions on the 60 million people in the area.
In the regulations issued by the government, the public has been warned against disrupting the epidemic control work being carried by the health authorities. Those found violating the new regulations would be arrested and might even get the death penalty.
