Infection rate stabilizes, but WHO emphasizes unpredictability as coronavirus deaths surpass SARS

(Image credit: STR/AFP via Getty Images)

last updated 10 February 2020

China announced Sunday that the death toll resulting from the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan has risen to 811, which is higher than the number of fatalities from the SARS epidemic between 2002 and 2003.

The number of confirmed infections rose to 37,198. The amount of new cases has stabilized in recent days, but the World Health Orgainzation continues to urge caution, and many doctors reportedly believe the number of deaths and infections have been undercounted because of the strain China's testing facilities are under. "It's very, very early to make predictions," said Dr. Michael Ryan, the executive director of WHO's health emergencies program.

WHO's Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the measures being put in place in China's Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, look like they're "paying off," but he also wasn't ready to make any sweeping statements. "We have to understand it with caution because it can show stability for a few days and then they can shoot up," he said. "I've said it many times: It's slow now, but it may accelerate."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox