As China fights the coronavirus,Coronavirus latest: death toll passes 2,000

Updates on the respiratory illness that has infected tens of thousands of people.

Scientists are concerned about a new virus that has infected tens of thousands of people and killed more than 2,000. The virus, which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, is a coronavirus and belongs to the same family as the pathogen that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. It causes a respiratory illness called COVID-19, which can spread from person to person.

Here’s the latest news on the outbreak.

20 February 13:30 GMT — Coronavirus death toll passes 2,000

More than 2,100 people worldwide have now died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. On 20 February, Chinese authorities reported that 2,118 people had died from the COVID-19. Infections worldwide have topped 75,000; more than 74,000 are in China.

20 February 13:00 GMT — China’s case-counting methods raise concerns

Scientists have questioned the way in which China is counting cases of the coronavirus. China’s official reports on the number of coronavirus infections have not been including people who have tested positive for the virus but who have no symptoms. Researchers fear the practice is masking the epidemic’s true scale — but some public-health experts say China is right to prioritize tracking sick patients who are spreading the disease.