February 24 coronavirus news

Another 150 people have died of the coronavirus in mainland China, bringing the nationwide death toll to 2,582, according to China's National Health Commission (NHC).

All but one of those deaths were in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak.

The global death toll is now at 2,619, with 27 deaths reported outside mainland China:

Infection toll rises: Confirmed cases in mainland China increased by 409 on Sunday, with 398 of those in Hubei province. Mainland China now has 77,150 confirmed cases, bringing the global total of known infections to 79,356.

According to the NHC, 24,734 patients in mainland China have recovered and been discharged from hospital.

South Korea’s military suspended examinations for potential conscripts in Daegu and North Gyeonsang Province for two weeks, after the country raised the highest possible national alert level on Sunday.

The examinations, which determine whether conscripts are fit for mandatory military service, will be suspended until March 6.

Soldiers infected: 11 members of the South Korean military are confirmed to have the coronavirus.

South Korea's Kospi fell 2.9% in early trading Monday as novel coronavirus cases in the country surged past 600.

Dow futures, meanwhile, were down more than 300 points, or 1.1%. S&P 500 futures were down 1.2%, and Nasdaq futures were down 1.6%. The Dow closed 228 points lower on Friday, and all three indexes recorded a weekly loss.

Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.3%, while China's Shanghai Composite lost 0.5%. Japan markets were closed Monday for a holiday.

Oil takes a dip: Oil futures tumbled, too. US futures fell 2.7% to trade at $51.92 per barrel. Brent crude, a global oil benchmark, lost 3% and was last trading at $56.75 per barrel.

New Zealand will extend its border restrictions for eight more days amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The restrictions include a ban on all foreigners who visited or transited through mainland China in the past 14 days, the country’s immigration agency said. New Zealand citizens and residents will still be allowed to enter, but they will be required to self-isolate for two weeks on their return.

“Today I can confirm that temporary travel restrictions on travel from mainland China will remain in place for a further eight days to protect against the spread of the coronavirus,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday.

This means the restrictions will be in place until at least March 3.

The travel ban will not be applied to Hong Kong, Macao, or Taiwan. 

New Zealand has not confirmed any cases of the novel coronavirus as of 10pET Sunday.

Two Chinese doctors died in China yesterday after contracting the coronavirus.

Huang Wenjun, from the Central Hospital of Xiaogan, in Hubei province, died yesterday evening of the virus, the hospital said in an obituary notice. Huang was with the Department of Respiratory Medicine and contracted the virus while working on the front lines against the disease. He was 42 years old. 

The second doctor, Du Xiansheng, was from Hainan province, according to the state-run news agency Xinhua. He developed symptoms including fever on January 18 while at work and was later confirmed to be infected. He died yesterday at the age of 55.

At least ten medical workers have died in mainland China during the coronavirus epidemic, according to a CNN tally.  

South Korea has confirmed another 161 people with the coronavirus, and one more patient who has died, according to the country's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) earlier today.

That brings the coronavirus death toll in Korea to seven, and the number of cases nationwide to 763.

The KCDC said in a statement said the seventh death occurred yesterday, and there is an investigation into the relationship between the death and the disease. The patient was a 62-year-old man, and linked to the Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo.

Of the total 763 cases, 11 are military service members, the Ministry of Defense confirmed today -- eight are in the army, and one each in the navy, air force and the marine corps.

Religious group association: So far, about half the cases in South Korea are linked to the Shincheonji religious group in the city of Daegu. Of the 161 new cases announced today, 131 are from Daegu, and 129 are related to the religious group.

Out of the 763 nationwide cases, 455 are now linked to the group.

South Korea will postpone the new school year by one week to prevent the spread of coronavirus, said the Ministry of Education yesterday.

The ministry said it will monitor developments and consider postponing the school year further.

Spike in cases: South Korea has 602 confirmed cases and six deaths from the coronavirus, after a massive spike over the weekend. More than half of total cases are linked to a religious group in the country's south.

Public health officials in Ontario, Canada, have confirmed a new "presumptive positive case" of the novel coronavirus.

The woman arrived in Canada from China on Friday with an "intermittent cough that was improving," the Ontario Ministry of Health said in a news release. She went to the emergency department at North York General Hospital, in Toronto, at the advice of Telehealth Ontario.

Lab tests indicated the patient was "presumptive positive" for the coronavirus. Officials are awaiting final confirmation from the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.

The patient was discharged and is in self-isolation, the news release said. Officials said there was a low risk that the patient was infectious, and she's had limited exposure to other people since she arrived in Canada. Officials are working to contact airplane passengers who might have been in close proximity to the patient.

David Williams, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, said:

Canada had nine confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Friday, according to the country's Public Health Agency.

A father and son were confirmed to have coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the number of cases in Taiwan to 28.

The father is in his 80s, while the son is in his 50s, the island's Central Epidemic Command Center said. Neither has any recent travel history, but authorities believe they may have got the virus from one of their relatives, who visited mainland China.

Asia cases rising: South Korea and Japan are facing two of the largest outbreaks of the novel coronavirus outside of mainland China.

The number of cases in South Korea is now more than 600, with a large number of infections linked to a branch of a religious group in the south of the country.

In Japan, 149 people across the country have been diagnosed with the virus in addition to the more than 690 former passengers of the Diamond Princess with the virus.

There are now four deaths from the virus in Japan and six in South Korea.