Coronavirus fatalities surpass SARS death toll, over 800 dead

Surpassing the fatalities caused by SARS epidemic in 2003, the death toll due to the novel coronavirus has reached 810 in China.

"According to the World Health Organization (WHO), SARS coronavirus killed 774 people as it spread in 26 countries during the nine-month epidemic," as quoted by the Washington Post.

The latest figures from the Chinese health officials show that 2,649 people have recovered and are discharged from the hospital.

Around 33,738 are currently being treated for pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus, reported Sputnik.

Earlier, the local Hubei health commission said that the death toll from the new coronavirus in the province stood at 780, while 1,400 people have recovered.

China has imposed quarantine and travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate.

The novel coronavirus was first detected in China's Wuhan in late December and has since spread to more than 25 countries.

The World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency in the wake of the outbreak.