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| Coronavirus: Death toll rises to 80 as China extends holiday | Coronavirus: Death toll rises to 80 as China extends holiday |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The number of people killed in China by the coronavirus has risen to 80, with almost 3,000 confirmed ill. | The number of people killed in China by the coronavirus has risen to 80, with almost 3,000 confirmed ill. |
| The national new year holiday has been extended by three days to Sunday, in an attempt to contain the outbreak. | The national new year holiday has been extended by three days to Sunday, in an attempt to contain the outbreak. |
| Wuhan in Hubei, the source of the outbreak, is in lockdown and several cities have imposed travel bans. | Wuhan in Hubei, the source of the outbreak, is in lockdown and several cities have imposed travel bans. |
| Health commission officials said on Monday the number of deaths in Hubei province had climbed from 56 to 76, with four deaths elsewhere. | |
| The overall number of confirmed cases in China is 2,744. State media say more than 300 are critically ill. | The overall number of confirmed cases in China is 2,744. State media say more than 300 are critically ill. |
| Another 41 cases have been confirmed abroad, including in Thailand, the United States, and Australia. There have been no deaths outside China. | |
| The coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory infection and there is no specific cure or vaccine. | |
| Most deaths involve elderly people or those with pre-existing respiratory problems. | |
| What is happening in Wuhan? | |
| Travel from the city, home to 11 million people, has been severely restricted and non-essential vehicles have been banned from the roads. | |
| At the Hubei border, workers are checking people's temperatures before allowing them into the province. | |
| The emergency has overwhelmed Wuhan's hospitals. More than half a million medical staff have joined prevention, control and treatment operations in Hubei province. | |
| Two new makeshift hospitals are being built in Wuhan, the provincial capital, and factories are rushing to produce masks and protective clothing. | |
| The city's mayor Zhou Xianwang said the number of cases would continue to rise, and warned that around five million new year travellers left the city before the lockdown. | |
| What is the situation in China? | |
| New year celebrations were scaled back and four major cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Tianjin - have banned long-distance busses. | |
| Beijing has closed the Forbidden City for tourists, as well as a section of the Great Wall. | |
| In Guangdong province, several cities have made face masks mandatory in public. Both Disney parks in Hong Kong and Shanghai have closed. | |
| On the weekend, Chinese officials warned the virus was able to spread during its incubation period, making it harder to contain the illness. | On the weekend, Chinese officials warned the virus was able to spread during its incubation period, making it harder to contain the illness. |
| In humans, the incubation period - during which a person has the disease, but no symptoms - ranges from between one and 14 days, officials believe. | In humans, the incubation period - during which a person has the disease, but no symptoms - ranges from between one and 14 days, officials believe. |
| What is the situation internationally? | |
| According to the World Health Organization and national authorities, there have been at least 41 confirmed cases outside China. | |
| Almost all had recently been to Wuhan. | |
| The virus itself is a new, or "novel" coronavirus - a family that normally affects animals. | The virus itself is a new, or "novel" coronavirus - a family that normally affects animals. |
| One human variant causes the common cold - but another variant, Sars, killed hundreds in a major outbreak in 2003. | One human variant causes the common cold - but another variant, Sars, killed hundreds in a major outbreak in 2003. |
| 'The symptomless spreaders' | |
| The news that this virus can spread during the incubation period is a significant development in our understanding of the virus - and the lengths China will have to go to, to stop it. | |
| People with Sars (the last deadly coronavirus outbreak to hit China) and Ebola are contagious only when symptoms appear. | |
| Such outbreaks are relatively easy to stop - identify and isolate people who are sick and monitor anyone they came into contact with. | |
| Flu, however, is the most famous example of a virus that you spread before you even know you're ill. | |
| We are not at the stage where people are saying this could be a global pandemic like swine flu. | |
| But stopping such "symptomless spreaders" will make the job of the Chinese authorities much harder. | |
| There are still crucial questions - how infectious are people during the incubation period, and did any of the patients outside China spread the disease in those countries before becoming sick? | |
| Learn more about the new virus | Learn more about the new virus |
| Are you in China? Have you been affected by the lockdown in various cities? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Are you in China? Have you been affected by the lockdown in various cities? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
| Or use the form below | Or use the form below |