China Reports Climb In Coronavirus Cases

BEIJING (AP) – China has reported a sharp rise in the number of people infected with a new coronavirus, including the first cases in the capital. The outbreak coincides with the country’s busiest travel period, as millions board trains and planes for the Lunar New Year holidays. Health authorities in the central city of Wuhan, where the pneumonia appears to have originated, have confirmed more cases that raise the total to more than 200. And a third patient has died, bringing the death toll to three. Thailand and Japan have identified three cases among people who recently traveled from China. South Korea reported its first case, a woman who arrived in Seoul from Wuhan and is now hospitalized.