The global death toll from the mysterious coronavirus has exceeded 800 people, surpassing that of the 2003 SARS outbreak.
As of Saturday, 811 people had died from the illness, which has been spreading across the globe for weeks after originating in Wuhan, China. Over 37,000 others in mainland China have been infected. SARS, on the other hand, also originated in China and killed 774 people after infecting more than 8,000.
The legitimacy of recent numbers on the virus from China, however, has been questioned as some believe the country’s Communist Party is underreporting the illness.
Since the outbreak started, the coronavirus has spread to 28 countries, including the United States, where there have been a dozen confirmed cases of the infection. The first American death from the virus was confirmed Saturday. The person was 60 years old and died while being treated in Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan.
President Trump declared coronavirus a public emergency last month, banning foreign travel from China. His administration issued a travel advisory for those looking to visit the country, and all U.S. citizens returning from China have been ordered to be quarantined upon their return.
