February 3, 2020 - 12:57 AMT
China coronavirus death toll rises to 361

The number of confirmed deaths from China's coronavirus outbreak has risen to 361, with Hubei province — the center of the outbreak — reporting 57 new deaths on Monday, February 3, Deutsche Welle cites the National Health Commission as saying.

The death toll exceeds that of the 2002-03 SARS outbreak, which killed 349 people in mainland China. The commission also confirmed 2,829 new cases of the virus nationwide on Sunday, bringing the total number of people infected within China to 17,205. The total number globally is 17,300.

The World Health Organization has said the number of confirmed cases will keep growing because thousands of specimens from suspected cases have yet to be tested.

Chinese stocks plummeted by almost 9% at the start of trade on Monday as investors returned from the Lunar New Year break, which was extended due to virus fears. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index nosedived 8.73%, while the Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, sank 8.99%.

China has also finished building a 1,000-bed hospital to tackle the outbreak in Hubei province. Medical workers and equipment were sent to the brand new facility in the city of Wuhan on Monday, once it was completed after just 10 days of construction.

Medical teams have continued to arrive in Wuhan to work at the new hospital, located in a rural area outside of the city center. Footage from the state-run broadcaster CCTV depicted wards equipped with new medical equipment and ventilation systems. Construction of a second hospital with 1,500 beds is currently underway.