China: Dead body found on empty street amidst Coronavirus outbreak

A man wearing a face mask was found lying dead on the pavement at ground zero of China's virus outbreak with a plastic shopping bag in one hand. He was found in a crowded street in Wuhan which is an industrial city of 11 million people under quarantine and the passersby did not dare to go near him.

The body was found on the morning of January 30 before an emergency vehicle arrived carrying police and medical staff in full-body protective suits. The man was lying straight on his back in front of a closed furniture store. Medical staff in blue overalls gently covered his body with a blue blanket.

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213 died, about 9800 confirmed cases

After the ambulance left the scene, police stacked supermarket cardboard boxes to hide the scene from the public. But the reaction of the police and medical staff in hazmat suits, as well as some of the bystanders, highlighted the fear pervading the city.

The death toll from the Coronavirus outbreak has risen to 213 with about 9800 confirmed cases in China after the worst-hit Hubei province reported 42 new fatalities on Friday. Within the past 24 hours, over 1,200 new cases of the disease have been recorded in 17 Chinese cities, the Chinese media reported. The new figures came shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Global Health Emergency over the deadly epidemic, which has spread to over 20 countries around the world.

READ: Coronavirus Death Toll Soars To 213; Over 9,300 Confirmed Cases In China

WHO declares Global Health Emergency

The latest figures show that the daily death count is increasing sharply, despite unprecedented measures imposed by China on Hubei a week ago. On Thursday alone, Chinese health officials had reported a nationwide total of 38 deaths, all but one of them in Hubei. The Chinese province on Friday also reported 1,220 new cases, slightly higher than the previous day.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the Coronavirus a Global Health Emergency. The Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement on Thursday evening. 

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