The death toll in the United States from the coronavirus rose to 12 late on Thursday when King County in the state of Washington reported the latest death, according to Reuters news agency.
Of the 12 US deaths, 11 are in Washington state and one in California.
Many of the cases in Washington have been linked to an outbreak at a nursing facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, including six deaths.
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Another 72-year-old California man, who was recently on a cruise ship with passengers suspected of having coronavirus, had also died on Thursday. But it is unclear if he had the disease.
The news comes as the US state of Texas reported two new cases in Harris County on Thursday, according to the Houston Chronicle newspaper, bringing to at least 14 the new cases in the entire state.
Across the US, there are now at least 129 cases confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of March 5. Other news reports says the number of cases has already reached at least 225.
Meanwhile, officials in the state of California are scrambling to deal with a cruise ship carrying 3,500 passengers and crew, following reports of suspected cases on board.
Ireland also reported its first coronavirus transmission not associated with travel to Italy, bringing the number of cases to 13, more than double a day earlier.
Globally, more than 95,000 people have been diagnosed with the disease, the vast majority in China, with 3,015 deaths in China and 267 deaths across the globe, many in Italy and Iran.
This is Ted Regencia monitoring the coronavirus updates from Kuala Lumpur.
Here are all the latest updates.
Friday, March 6
04:15 GMT Friday – South Korea vows ‘reciprocal’ countermeasures to Japan’s coronavirus travel limits
South Korea said on Friday it will consider countermeasures to Japan’s “unjust, unacceptable” travel restrictions barring visitors from areas which have been hard hit by the coronavirus epidemic, according to Reuters.
The presidential National Security Council met after Japan said it would bar arrivals from highly affected areas in South Korea and Iran and order a two-week quarantine for those from other regions.
“It is unacceptable that the Japanese government took such an unjust action without prior consultations with us, and we will explore necessary countermeasures based on principles of reciprocity,” the council said in a statement.
04:15 GMT Friday – Philippines reports two new infections
Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced on Friday two new coronavirus infections bringing the total confirmed cases to five.
One of the patients had reportedly traveled to Japan, while the other person “has no known history of travel outside the country”. The second patient reported on Friday reportedly frequented a mosque in Metro Manila before the infection was confirmed.
While there are only five confirmed cases in the Philippines, more than 80 Filipinos working abroad have contracted the disease, most of whom were working on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
While there are only five confirmed cases in the Philippines, more than 80 Filipinos working abroad have contracted the disease [File: Eloisa Lopez/Reuters]
03:47 GMT Friday – Seoul urges Tokyo to drop new entry rules
South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Friday described Japan’s latest entry restrictions against South Koreans following the coronavirus outbreak as “very regrettable”.
Speaking at a meeting in Seoul, Chung urged Tokyo to withdraw the “excessive and unreasonable” measures against South Korean travellers.
On Thursday, Tokyo had announced a 14-day quarantine on all visitors from China and South Korea before they are allowed an entry permit.
As of Friday, there are an estimated 6,284 coronavirus infections reported in South Korea, and 80,552 cases in China.
02:12 GMT Friday – South Korea reports 518 new cases
South Korean soldiers in protective gear sanitise a street in Seoul on Thursday [Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters]
South Korean health authorities reported 518 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday, bringing to 6,284 the total number of infections nationwide, according to Yonhap news agency.
Yonhap also quoted the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as saying that 42 people, mostly elderly with underlying illnesses, have died.
Most of the cases of infections were from the southeastern city of Daegu, a city of 2.5 million people.
01:32 GMT Friday – China reports 143 new cases, 30 deaths
China’s National Health Commission reported on Friday 30 new coronavirus deaths and 143 new infections as of the end of Thursday.
At least 29 of the new deaths and 126 new cases were from the province of Hubei, the epicentre of the infections in China.
Across China, the total number of deaths has reached 3,042 with the number of infections hitting 80,552.
00:50 GMT Friday – Beijing reports 4 new coronavirus cases from Italy
Beijing reported four new cases of coronavirus on March 5, all imported from Italy, the city’s municipal health commission said in a statement on Friday.
The city now has a total of 422 cases. Coronavirus cases are now rising across the globe at a more rapid rate than inside China.
Across China, the cases have now reached 80,565 with 3,015 deaths, according to a World Health Organization or WHO report on Thursday.
00:25 GMT Friday – US state of Maryland confirms three cases
Governor Larry Hogan of the US state of Maryland has announced that three people from the state have been infected with the coronavirus.
In a statement posted on social media, Hogan said the three individuals contracted the disease while travelling overseas. He said they are in “good condition”.
We have been actively preparing for this situation over the last several weeks across all levels of government. I encourage all Marylanders not to panic, but to take this seriously and to stay informed as we continue to provide updates.
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) March 5, 2020
23:09 GMT Thursday – French legislator hospitalised after contracting coronavirus
Reuters news agency is reporting that a member of France’s National Assembly has been hospitalised in intensive care after contracting coronavirus.
France’s lower house of Parliament made the announcement late on Thursday, but did not identify the legislator.
Two other people working in the dining hall of the assembly were also infected.
France has so far reported 423 cases of the virus as of late on Thursday, up by 138 in one day, according to the national health service. There have been seven deaths so far in France.
20:00 GMT Thursday – 7 new cases; two-week tourist ban
The Palestinian government confirmed the number of coronavirus cases in the occupied West Bank had risen to seven and declared a two-week ban on tourists visiting cities and sites including Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity. The health ministry said the cases had been confirmed in the Bethlehem area south of Jerusalem. “They are now being treated in quarantine,” a statement from Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said.
Click here to read all the updates from March 5.
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