Coronavirus: 1,696 died in China's Hubei province

Tokyo, Feb 17: As many as 1,696 people have died from the novel coronavirus disease in the Chinese province of Hubei, the provincial health commission said on Monday.
According to the commission, Hubei reported 1,933 new confirmed cases and 100 new deaths on Sunday.
As many as 58,182 in the province have been affected by the deadly virus and Wuhan, the provincial capital, recorded a total of 41,152 confirmed cases.
Hubei has also discharged 1,016 patients from hospital after recovery on Sunday bringing the total number of discharged patients in the province to 6,639.
The latest report stated that among the 40,814 hospitalised patients, 8,024 were still in severe condition and another 1,773 in critical condition.
The outbreak of the virus started in the city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, in December.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases.
The virus was first thought to be transmitted only by means of direct contact with infected animals. It has since been confirmed that it can be passed from one person to another although it is still unclear how easily the infection could spread among people.
The common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
People were recommended to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing and avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.