Global COVID-19 death toll passes 3,000 with new China count

BEIJING - The number of deaths globally in the new coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak passed 3,000 on Monday, as China reported more 42 deaths.

The new fatalities were all in the virus epicenter Hubei province, the National Health Commission said, bringing the overall toll in mainland China to 2,912.

Health officials also reported the lowest daily tally of fresh infections since late January, with 202 new cases.

In China, the number of reported new cases has gradually been declining, and there were only six confirmed new infections outside Hubei.

The virus emerged late last year in Hubei in central China, but has now spread to more than 60 countries around the world.

The United States and Australia reported their first fatalities over the weekend, while infections nearly doubled in the past 48 hours in Italy, Europe's hardest-hit country.

The World Health Organization said Sunday that the virus appears to particularly hit those over the age of 60 and people already weakened by other illness.

The agency noted that most people with the COVID-19 illness only experience mild symptoms, while around 14% suffer severe disease like pneumonia and five percent become critically ill.

It said the mortality rate in the outbreak appears to be between 2 and 5%.

The seasonal flu has an average mortality rate of about 0.1% but is highly infectious, with up to 400,000 people worldwide dying from it each year.

Other strains of coronavirus, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), have established mortality rates of 9.5% and 34.5%, respectively.

In the Philippines, there have been three confirmed cases of COVID-19, one of which led to fatality.

Data from the Department of Health (DOH) as of Monday at 9 a.m. showed the number of persons under investigation (PUIs) at 638, which already includes the three confirmed cases. A total of 592 PUIs have been discharged while 43 remain admitted in hospitals.

Two Filipinos tested positive for COVID-19 in Singapore, but one of them has already been discharged from the hospital.

There were also two Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates who were infected with COVID-19. —Agence France-Presse/KG, GMA News