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Thursday 30 January 2020 - 16:42

China Virus Toll Rises to 170, Over 7,700 Infected

Story Code : 841673
China Virus Toll Rises to 170, Over 7,700 Infected
The World Health Organization will decide today whether to declare the epidemic an international public health emergency.

The global health agency met twice last week but was split about whether to declare an emergency, saying it did not have enough information to decide. Such rulings can rally a global response, but also put countries at the center of any outbreak under even greater scrutiny.

China said Thursday that the total number of deaths from the coronavirus had risen to 170, with cases now confirmed in every province and region in the country. More than 7,700 people have been sickened in mainland China, while 68 cases have been reported around the world.

The W.H.O. has so far praised China’s response. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the organization’s director-general, met with Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, in Beijing on Tuesday.

Mr. Xi had led “a monumental national response,” Dr. Tedros wrote on Twitter, adding he was “struck by the determination of Chinese leadership.”
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