Death toll from Corona outbreak reaches 636

Colombo (News 1st): The death toll from the Coronavirus outbreak in mainland China has reached 636, with confirmed cases at 31,161. The death of a Chinese doctor who tried to warn about the Coronavirus outbreak has sparked an unprecedented level of public anger and grief and a rare crisis of confidence in the Communist Party. Li Wenliang died after contracting the virus while treating patients in Wuhan. Last December he sent a message to fellow medics warning of a virus he thought looked like Sars - another deadly coronavirus. But he was told by police to "stop making false comments" and was investigated for "spreading rumours". Dr Li's death has fuelled this further and triggered a conversation about the lack of freedom of speech in China. The country's anti-corruption body has now said it will open an investigation into "issues involving Dr. Li". Meanwhile, another 41 people on a cruise ship off the coast of Japan have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases on board to 61. Some 3,700 people are on board the Diamond Princess, which is quarantined in Yokohama for at least two weeks. The checks began after an 80-year-old Hong Kong man who had been on the ship last month fell ill with the virus. A separate cruise ship - the World Dream - has been quarantined in Hong Kong after eight former passengers caught the virus. It has around 3,600 people on board, but none have tested positive so far. Meanwhile, Singapore has raised its national disease response level to Orange, its second-highest level and the same one used during the SARS epidemic. The city-state also confirmed three new coronavirus cases in Singapore. While investigations are ongoing, as of now no links have been found to previous cases, and the individuals don’t have a recent travel history to China. Meanwhile, Chinese researches have found that the deadly coronavirus could have spread from bats to humans and through the illegal traffic of pangolins., foreign media reported today. “This latest discovery will be of great significance for the prevention and control of the origin (of the virus),” South China Agricultural University, which led the research, said in a statement on its website.