Coronavirus cases top 80,000 in China, 4,000 in South Korea

China reported 202 new coronavirus infections and 42 deaths over the past day, bringing up the total number of cases of the novel coronavirus in mainland China to 80,026, authorities said Monday.

Meanwhile, South Korea saw another spike in cases of the virus, with 476 new infections bringing the total count to 4,212, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

The total number of deaths from the disease in mainland China reached 2,912, according to the National Health Commission, while four new deaths in South Korea brought the death toll in the country up to 22.

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In China, more than half of the patients who fell ill from virus since the outbreak have now recovered, according to official information.

The South Korean outbreak, the largest outside China where the novel coronavirus began spreading in December 2019, is mainly concentrated in the south-eastern city of Daegu and it surroundings in North Gyeongsang Province.

Of the new cases 446 were reported in the province, including 377 in the city of Daegu.

The cases mostly come from followers of the Christian sect Shincheonji Church, which has ties to China.

While the disease is spreading at a slower pace in China, according to official data, infections in places such as South Korea and Italy – where authorities reported a 50 per cent jump in cases to 1,694 – were soaring.

Latin America also started recording its first cases, with nine infections confirmed so far. (dpa)