China virus death toll rises to 425

BEIJING - The number of confirmed deaths from China's coronavirus outbreak spiked to 425, after authorities in Hubei province reported 64 new fatalities Tuesday.

In its daily update, figures from the health commission in Hubei, which has been hit hardest by the virus, also showed a sharp increase in confirmed infections with 2,345 new cases.

That puts the national total at 19,550, based on numbers previously issued by the central government.

The epidemic, which has spiraled into a global health emergency, is believed to have emerged in December from a market that sold wild game in the Hubei provincial capital Wuhan.

There are now cases reported in more than 20 countries.

There has been one death outside China, in the Philippines.

The Chinese government has said it "urgently" needs surgical masks, protective suits, and safety goggles as it battles to control the outbreak.

Philippines

The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine on Monday said there is still no case of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, 30 persons under investigation (PUIs) in the Philippines for possible novel coronavirus infection have tested negative for the deadly virus based on confirmatory tests, Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.

The Philippines' lone fatality was a 44-year-old Chinese male companion of the first confirmed case of nCoV in the country, a 38-year-old Chinese woman.

Eight out of the over 70 persons tracked down by the DOH for having been in contact with the Chinese couple infected with nCoV are exhibiting coughs and colds, the DOH said on Monday.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said there was no need to be hysterical over the nCoV finding its way in the country.

Duterte said one just needed to be checked at a hospital if he or she suspected having the disease. — Agence France-Presse/KG, GMA News