China death toll passes 700, American dies of coronavirus in Wuhan

The death toll in mainland China surpassed 700 on Saturday, according to authorities, and is poised to pass the 774 deaths recorded globally during the 2002-2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Lauren Anthony reports.

**EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: The script has been edited to take out reference to the U.S. citizen who died in Wuhan being male.

As of the morning of Monday, January 10, the gender of this person remains unclear.

The death toll from the new coronavirus rose past 700 in mainland China on Saturday (February 8), according to authorities.

The number of fatalities are poised to surpass the 774 deaths recorded globally during the SARS outbreak in the early 2000s.

A 60-year-old American also died from the infection in the Chinese city of Wuhan - the epicenter of the outbreak - marking the first confirmed non-Chinese death of the illness, U.S. officials said.

While the vast majority of cases have been in China, the virus has spread to some two dozen countries abroad.

Five British nationals, including a child, were diagnosed with the virus in France, after staying in the same ski chalet in the Contamines-Montjoie resort in Savoie.

The infected Britons had been hospitalized overnight in the region.

But officials have said they were not in a serious condition.

Hong Kong authorities said on Saturday 35 crew members and 9 passengers of a quarantined cruise ship were tested negative of coronavirus after they showed signs of having a fever and a respiratory tract infection.