Hong Kong records first death from new coronavirus; overall toll over 420

TIL Desk/World/Hong Kong/ Hong Kong reported its first death from the newly identified coronavirus on Tuesday, the second fatality outside mainland China from an outbreak that has killed over 420 people, spread around the world and raised fears for global economic growth.

China’s currency and stock markets steadied in choppy trade after anxiety over the spreading coronavirus on Monday hit the yuan and erased some $400 billion in market value from Shanghai’s benchmark index.

More foreigners were evacuated from China’s locked down central city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, and thousands of people were stranded on a Japanese cruise ship after one passenger tested positive for the virus.

The Hong Kong fatality brought the total death toll from the virus to 427, including a man who died in the Philippines last week after visiting Wuhan. Chinese authorities said the toll in China rose by a record 64 from the previous day to 425, mostly in Hubei province of which Wuhan is the capital.