New virus has infected 81,000 globally, caused 2,700 deaths
By The Associated Press today
1 of 8 A bottle of hand sanitizers hangs on a pole on a street for visitors next to notices about precautions against the COVID-19 in front of a market in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. The number of new virus cases in South Korea jumped again Wednesday and the first U.S. military soldier tested positive, with his infection and many others connected to a southeastern city where the outbreak has clustered. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 81,000 people globally. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it.
The latest figures reported by each government’s health authority as of Wednesday in Beijing:
— Mainland China: 2,715 deaths among 78,064 cases, mostly in the central province of Hubei
— Hong Kong: 81 cases, 2 deaths
— Macao: 10 cases
— South Korea: 1,261 cases, 11 deaths
— Japan: 885 cases, including 705 from a cruise ship docked in Yokohama, 7 deaths