China coronavirus death toll rises to 490
The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in mainland China rose to 490 as of Wednesday, after Hubei, the province where the virus is thought to have originated, reported 65 people had died from the flu-like infection, according to Al Jazeera.
China's National Health Commission said on Wednesday the number of confirmed infections in the country rose to 24,324 after an additional 3,887 people were diagnosed with the virus.
Other countries have rushed to evacuate their citizens from Hubei and its capital city, Wuhan, while many have also imposed extraordinary travel restrictions on travellers to and from China.
Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, has started a city-wide sterilisation campaign in an effort to curb the spread of the infection.
A video posted on social media by the state-owned Global Times showed a truck spraying mists in one city block, and a motorised rickshaw making rounds and shooting thick white fumes in the air at a residential area in the city.
Chinese netizens hail the move, hoping it will lead the city back to safety.
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