Coronavirus death toll in China reached 56, with at least 1,975 confirmed cases in China (more than 2,000 worldwide) which is believed to have emerged in Wuhan, central China. Health authorities around the world announced taking several preventative measures against the pandemic as more countries report cases. Confirmed cases have so far been announced in Europe, North America, and several Asian countries. In Egypt, the government raised earlier its public health alert to the highest level, announcing taking the needed measures at airports and other marine and land entry points to the country. Cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported in the South Korea, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the United States, and other countries in east Asia, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The organisation acknowledged that the illness is an emergency in China, but it said "it was too early to declare it a public health emergency of international concern," according to WHO's statement on Thursday. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses with some strains causing less-severe diseases, like the common cold. However. Coronaviruses also encompass strains that cause more severe diseases such as MERS and SARS. Some transmit easily from person to person, while others do not. On Monday, China's National Health Commission confirmed that the infection could be transmitted from human-to-human. Meanwhile, the Egyptian Embassy in Beijing confirmed on Sunday, that there are no infections of the Coronavirus infection among the Egyptian community in China. The Egyptian embassy said it is following up on the condition of the Egyptian community in Wuhan, Hubei province, through direct communication with them, either by phone or through Chinese social media, to check on them and provide support.
