The coronavirus death rate is on the rise.
The deadly novel coronavirus outbreak has now claimed more than 1,000 lives, according to the World Health Organization.
There are now at least 42,700 confirmed cases in China and close to 400 confirmed cases in 24 other countries.
At least 1,017 people have died in China and there has been one fatality so far outside of China.
The novel coronavirus death rate is now at 2.4 per cent.
That’s four times higher than the rate of influenza deaths but lower than the 10 per cent death rate for the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak.
However, some experts fear the coronavirus death rate is actually higher as only people who have tested positive for the virus are being counted in those numbers.
The Government of Canada continues to warn people against any unnecessary travel to China.
There are four confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV in British Columbia.
All four cases are in stable condition and are recovering in isolation at home.
All close contacts of these cases are being followed closely by public health officials and remain asymptomatic.
So far, the BC CDC has tested a total of 371 samples for 2019-nCoV in this province and health officials say the risk here remains low.
To learn more about the coronavirus and frequently asked questions about infection, click on this link.
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People wear masks at the international terminal at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)
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