Hong Kong confirmed 19 new cases of coronavirus or COVID-19 on Wednesday, which include 14 that got locally transmitted, as the new social distancing rules came into force and as authorities warned that the risk of a large-scale outbreak is high.
Wednesday's toll dropped substantially from Tuesday's 48 new cases. The city had registered a sharp increase in the number of cases in the past week with the majority of cases transmitted locally. Since late January, the global financial hub has reported more than 1,500 cases and eight deaths.
COVID-19 Crisis
The deadly virus outbreak has created a major stir around the world in recent times infecting more than 13.3 million people globally and claiming the lives of over 578,000 people in more than 170 countries.
Scientists around the world are currently working to find a cure for the disease as the virus continues to spread like wildfire. The US is the worst affected nation due to the outbreak followed by Brazil and India.
(With agency inputs)