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Coronavirus Claims More 150 lives Death Toll Jumps To 2592

BEIJING: China had 150 new confirmed coronavirus deaths on Sunday, the National Health Commission announced on Monday, pushing the death toll nationwide to 2,592.

This developed as South Korea reported 161 more cases on Monday, bringing its total number of infections to 763.

Officials also confirmed two more deaths of virus patients, bringing the country’s death toll to seven.

On Sunday, it raised its disease alert to the highest level after a surge in infections and more deaths.

At least 152 cases and three deaths were also reported in Italy, prompting emergency measures in Europe.

Mainland China had 150 new confirmed coronavirus deaths on Sunday, the National Health Commission said on Monday, up from 97 the previous day.

In a statement, the commission also confirmed 409 new infections during the same period, down from 648 reported a day earlier.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases on the mainland is now 77,150, and 2,592 have died from the outbreak, the commission said.

Meanwhile, China announced that it will now allow healthy non-residents of Wuhan to leave the epicentre of the virus.

Four Chinese provinces; Yunnan, Guangdong, Shanxi and Guizhou, on Monday lowered their coronavirus emergency response measures, local health commissions said.

Yunnan and Guizhou cut their emergency response measures from level I to level III, while Guangdong and Shanxi lowered their measures to level II.

China has a four-tier response system for pubic health emergencies that determines what measures it will implement, with level I the most serious.

Gansu province was the first to lower its measures on Friday, followed by Liaoning on Saturday.

South Korea reported 161 more cases of the new virus on Monday, bringing its total to 763 cases.

On Sunday, the country raised its disease alert to the highest level after a surge in infections and two more deaths.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in also ordered officials to take “unprecedented, powerful” steps to stem the spread of the outbreak.

Austria denied entry to a train from Italy on suspicion that two of the travellers might be infected with the coronavirus, Austria’s Ministry of the Interior said.

“Tonight a train on its way from Venice to Munich was stopped at the Austrian border,” the ministry said.

The Italian State Railways informed Austrian train operator OBB that there were two people with fever symptoms on the train, the ministry’s statement said.

The train was now waiting at the Brenner Pass in Italian territory. “The further procedure is currently being discussed together with Italian authorities.”

French Health Minister Olivier Veran said he would talk to his European counterparts soon to discuss how to best cope with a possible epidemic risk in Europe as Italy battles an explosion in cases.

“Tonight there is no epidemic in France. But there is a problematic situation at the door, in Italy, that we are watching with great attention,” Veran told a news conference.

“The situation tonight is very evolutive at [the] international level,” he added. “I spoke with my Italian and German counterparts … We have agreed to have a discussion between several European health ministers, probably next week, to assess how we can together face epidemic risk,” he said.

A third person infected with the coronavirus died in Italy, a regional official said, as the government struggles to contain an outbreak of the illness in the north of the country with more than 130 cases reported since Friday.

Lombardy regional councillor Giulio Gallera told reporters the victim was an elderly woman from the province of Cremona in the Lombardy region.

The woman was also suffering from cancer, Gallera said.